U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a Senate resolution designating January 16th as Religious Freedom Day. This resolution commemorates the 235th Anniversary of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a landmark achievement that laid the foundations for the First Amendment.
“Religious freedom is fundamental to our nation. Our right to worship freely without fear of government interference sets us apart from the rest of the world and allows all Americans to practice their faith,” Daines said. “This bedrock freedom has shaped our nation for centuries and we must always fight to protect this foundational ideal.”
Daines will introduce the resolution with Senators James Lankford (Okla.), James Inhofe (Okla.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), James Risch (Idaho), John Hoeven (N.D.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Thom Tillis (N.C), Tim Scott (S.C.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Mike Braun (Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and Mike Rounds (S.D).
To read the resolution, click HERE.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute’s for Religious Freedom, which passed the Virginia General Assembly on January 16th, 1786. Many historians credit the language of Jefferson’s Statute for inspiring the groundwork for the First Amendment.