U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a Senate resolution designating today, January 16th, as Religious Freedom Day. This resolution commemorates the 236th Anniversary of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a landmark achievement that laid the foundations for the First Amendment.
“America stands as a beacon of hope and a symbol of religious freedom around the world. We would not be known as the land of the free without our fundamental right to worship freely,” Daines said. “We must do everything we can to protect this freedom which allows all Americans to practice their faith without fear.”
Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Mike Braun (Ind.), James Lankford (Okla.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Jim Risch (Idaho), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), John Hoeven (N.D.), Roger Wicker (Miss.) and John Thune (S.D.) are cosponsors.
To read the resolution, click HERE.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute 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.
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Contact: Rachel Dumke, Katie Schoettler