Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

Before the American Revolution, religious freedom in America was seriously limited. Most colonies had an established church, church taxes, and/or required tests for office or even voting. In Virginia, the largest, wealthiest and most populous colony, dissenters from Virginia’s established church, the Church of England, faced serious legal discrimination and persecution. After the Revolution, Virginia adopted Thomas Jefferson’s “Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom,” providing the most eloquent and fullest protection for religious liberty. Jefferson’s Statute later provided a foundation for the First Amendment. Dr. Ragosta will discuss the relatively unknown role of Virginia’s religious dissenters, primarily evangelical Baptist and Presbyterian, in both winning the American Revolution and in establishing religious liberty, including a strict separation of church and state. 

John Ragosta, a fellow at Virginia Humanities, was previously the acting director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. He has taught law and history at the University of Virginia, George Washington University, and Hamilton, Oberlin, and Randolph Colleges. Dr. Ragosta’s most recent book – For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle – was released in late 2023 by the University of Virginia Press. He is also the author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed (UVA Press, 2013), Wellspring of Liberty (Oxford 2010), and other works. An award-winning author and frequent commentator, Ragosta holds both a PhD and a JD from the University of Virginia. Before returning to academia, Dr. Ragosta was a partner at Dewey Ballantine LLP. He is also a beekeeper.

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