Commentary: Religious liberty champions: John Leland

The Leland-Madison Memorial Park in Orange County, Va., commemorates a likely meeting suggested by various accounts between James Madison and the influential Virginia Baptist pastor John Leland. This meeting helped to secure the future of religious liberty for the then-young nation.

Baptists and other religious dissenting groups suffered tremendous persecution and discrimination in Virginia and in other colonies. Residents were legally required to attend the established church, the Anglican church, and could be fined for non-attendance.

Residents were taxed to give support to the Anglican Church, the ministers of the church, and support to the minister’s home and the land. Baptisms and weddings had to be performed by Anglican ministers, and baptisms of infants in the Anglican Church were mandatory.

Madison meets Leland

In March of 1788, Virginians were scheduled to vote on delegates to the Virginia Convention in order to decide whether to ratify the proposed U.S. Constitution. Madison came home to Orange as a candidate for ratification, having heard Baptists, growing in number, continued to be skeptical of a constitution that did not have explicit guarantees of religious liberty.

John Leland was one of the most popular preachers in Virginia. He advocated for religious freedom for all, and he spoke out against slavery.

Thomas Jefferson said it would be a grievous error if the U.S. Constitution were ratified without a Bill of Rights. So, Pastor Leland scripted, drafted, and circulated oppositions to the proposed Constitution. A friend of Madison heard of this and informed him of the oppositions and then encouraged Madison to meet with Leland.

Tradition holds this meeting took place at the large oak tree known as Madison’s Oak in what is now Leland-Madison Memorial Park. It was here in 1788 that Leland made secure the promise of Madison to add to the Constitution a Bill of Rights that would guarantee religious liberty. In turn, Madison convinced Leland to support the new Constitution and to support Madison.

The Bill of Rights

Madison’s subsequent election to the Virginia Convention and his persuasiveness and acknowledgement of the importance of the Bill of Rights with the Constitution won over the fierce opposition from the Anti-Federalists, led by none other than Patrick Henry.

As a member of the new House of Representatives, Madison introduced the Bill of Rights. Religious liberty, including free exercise of religion and the prohibition of the establishment of religion, was forever enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

Historical marker

That history is represented with a historical marker noting the contribution Virginia pastor John Leland made to securing religious liberty for America. We are so grateful for the Goshen Baptist Association for maintaining this beautiful park, located at the intersection of Highway 20, known as Constitution Highway, and Clifton Road.

Ken Pruitt, president of Leland Seminary in Arlington, Va., narrated the video that accompanies this transcript, which is published by permission of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The video is part of a series produced by BGAV’s Religious Liberty Committee. Other videos in the series feature John Weatherford and Rev. Thomas Woolsey.