Thomas Jefferson

Under contract with The History Press: Release date: 4/1/2024

“I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another.” – Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 1799

The title is: Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Faith and Liberty in Fredericksburg

It will be available at: The History Press – Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Bookshop.org and where books are sold. View entire cover. Read original pitch to publisher.

This book will present: Thomas Jefferson’s time at Fredericksburg, Virginia, his meeting at Weedon’s Tavern (known as Smith’s at the time) in which he agreed to author the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the story surrounding the writing of it, why Jefferson took so much pride in its completion, and how the results are commemorated to this day. Additional modern-day looks will include regional details on Fredericksburg’s Religious Freedom Monument, the establishment of the Jefferson Institute, and the city’s annual multi-denominational celebration that acknowledges freedom of religion in America.

The subject of Thomas Jefferson’s experiences in Fredericksburg and the roots leading up to the VA Statute has not been examined definitively in any single study –at least from the angle at which I am pursuing it. In 1998, Cambridge Studies in Religion and American Public Life Series included a book titled The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Its Evolution and Consequences in American History, but as this book looks at the statute from more of a political and sociological perspective, my study is more regional.

Author Steven Waldman has also published a broad examination titled Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America, but once again, my focus will be on the local experience and influence on the birth of the document, not how it has affected the public square today. In essence my book will be a two-sided examination of both Jefferson and the statute as they relate to Fredericksburg Virginia.

My intent is to work closely with the Thomas Jefferson Library, as well as the Central Rappahannock Regional Library while obtaining a variety of primary and secondary sources including Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767-1826, selections from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson including his Thoughts on Religion, and local references from the CRRL’s archives to include The Laws in Virginia (1819 First Edition). Additionally, I plan to acquire copies of materials from the catalogs at the University of Mary Washington and the College of William and Mary, as well as articles from local publications like The Freedom Record and the Thomas Jefferson Institute Quarterly.

Overview:

Prior to his death Thomas Jefferson left behind specific instructions for the obelisk monument that was to mark his grave. In addition to sketching out the exact size and shape of the stone he requested the following epitaph:

Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of American Independence
of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom
and Father of the University of Virginia

These contributions were in his words the “testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.” It is curious that with all his contributions, such as the political offices he held, (President of the United States being one), he selected these three specific memories. Author of the Declaration of American Independence is obvious, Father of the University of Virginia is understandable, but the astonishing choice is the author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom (now commonly referred to as the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom). Not that this is unimportant. but of all his achievements this one is often overlooked.

Jefferson crafted this statute, not in Philadelphia or one of the other busy cities of the day. He wrote it while staying in a small Virginia town on the Rappahannock River named Fredericksburg. Jefferson often passed through the town on his journeys to and from Monticello. Jefferson was a second cousin of Ann Randolph Fitzhugh and a good friend of William Fitzhugh, the builders of one of the town’s estates called Chatham.

In 1777, Jefferson stayed at Weedon’s Tavern in Fredericksburg where he penned the actual life-altering document. It established the right of every man and woman to their own religious beliefs and opinions. The Virginia General Assembly passed the landmark statute in 1786. And in 1789, it became the basis for the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The event not only had a lasting effect on the country, it more specifically had a permanent effect on the city where the proposition was written. In 1932, the Fredericksburg City Council commissioned St. Clair Brooks, a stonemason, to erect a monument commemorating Jefferson’s bill. It is built from stones sent from churches across the country. Each year on January 12, the Religious Freedom Day parade hits the streets of downtown Fredericksburg to commemorate the anniversary of Jefferson drafting the statute.

However, the story of Jefferson’s experiences in Fredericksburg and drafting the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom is more than just a memorial and parade.

Tentative Outline:

Foreword by Maroon David

  1. Introduction
  2. Thomas Jefferson
  3. City of Fredericksburg
  4. Experiences at Fredericksburg
  5. Weedon’s Tavern
  6. Overview
  7. The Great Awakening
  8. Thoughts on Religion
  9. Authoring of the Statute
  10. Influence of First Amendment
  11. Thomas Jefferson Institute
  12. Monument and Memorials
  13. Annual Religious Freedom Day
  14. Jefferson’s Legacy
    Appendix 1: Committee of Revisors
    Appendix 2: Jefferson Quotes
    Appendix 3: Bill No. 82
    Appendix 4: Additional Letters
    Appendix 5: Places of Interest

About the Author:

Michael Aubrecht is an experienced author, historian and producer with a genuine passion for preserving and presenting the past through film and the written word in a way that engages the individual and instills an interest in them to explore the subject further on their own. He lives in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia surrounded by 18th and 19th century historical sites. Michael has written multiple books to include Historic Churches of Fredericksburg: Houses of the Holy and The Civil War in Spotsylvania: Confederate Campfires at the Crossroads. He has published many articles for print and online magazines to include Patriots of the American Revolution and Emerging Civil War. Michael co-wrote and produced the documentary The Angel of Marye’s Heights, hosts the YouTube series “The Naked Historian” and manages the Facebook page Today’s History Lesson. He is the founder of The Jefferson Project. Michael has lectured at many venues such as the Manassas Museum and the University of Mary Washington. He was the co-chair of the National Civil War Life Foundation and personal copy-writer for renown Civil War artist Mort Kunstler. By day Michael is a video producer for Lockheed Martin. He credits his wife Tracy, children Dylan, Madison, Kierstyn, Jackson, and grandson Eli with inspiring him as a writer.