Architectural Review Board

Fredericksburg Memorials Advisory Commission RELIGIOUS FREEDOM MONUMENT Enhancement Project for 250th Anniversary The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was drafted on January 13, 1777, in Fredericksburg, by a committee including Thomas Jefferson and George Mason. It states: “all men are shall be free to profess … their opinions in matters of religion” The Statute was introduced into the Virginia General Assembly in 1779. On January 16, 1786, the Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law. The statute disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and guaranteed freedom of religion to people of all religious faiths. January 2027 will be the 250th Anniversary of that meeting in Fredericksburg that gave birth to America's commitment to religious freedom, enshrined in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. The Memorials Advisory Commission believes the Religious Freedom Monument should be accorded more attention than it gets today, both as a physical structure and as a carrier of information about this important event.