The First Freedom Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Richmond, Virginia. Its mission is to commemorate and educate about

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...

and conscience as proclaimed in Thomas Jefferson's

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was drafted in 1777 by Thomas Jefferson in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and introduced into the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond in 1779. On January 16, 1786, the Assembly enacted the statute into the s ...

. Located in the Shockoe Slip district of downtown Richmond, the Center sits on the site where

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

's statute was enacted into law by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786. Championed through the Virginia General Assembly by James Madison, the statute was the first law of absolute religious freedom enacted in the young nation and served as a template for the religion clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would be ratified five years later (1791).

The Council for America’s First Freedom

The Council for America’s First Freedom formed in Richmond in 1984 to prepare for the 1986 bicentennial of the Jan. 16, 1786, ratification of the Statute. The council registered the trademark for "First Freedom Center" with the US Patent office in 2003.

First Freedom Awards

The First Freedom Center commemorates National Religious Freedom Day by an annual First Freedom Award presentation. The three annual awards include a Virginia First Freedom Award as well as national and international awards Past recipients of the award include: *

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

* Richard C. Holbrooke * Chet Edwards * Bill and Judith Moyers

Opening of the Center

While educational and award activities happened for years, the Council pursued an actual "bricks and mortar" center for several years. In 2004, the center announced that groundbreaking for the center would occur in 2005 with doors to open in 2007. After some delays, the First Freedom Center opened in January 2015 with a commemoration featuring Gov.

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 ...

and Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones. The FFC was taken over by

The Valentine The Valentine is a museum in Richmond, Virginia dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond's history. Founded by Mann S. Valentine II 1898, it was the first museum in Richmond. In the early 21st century, The Valentine offer ...

in July 2015.

Description of the Center

The First Freedom Center is connected to the newly finished Courtyard and Residence Inns by Marriott (and owned by Apple Hospitality ) and features 2,200 square feet of installations that "delve into America's experience with religious liberty from its European roots through today" According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, "The museum features statues of Jefferson and James Madison, along with exhibits and displays that trace and celebrate America’s experiment with religious liberty, from the 1600s through today. One wall will feature changing exhibits that highlight current events related to religious freedom. Outside is a 27-foot spire and a wall etched with a paragraph of the 1786 statute, which laid the foundation for the religious freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights."http://www.richmond.com/news/local/article_69c6fa89-837f-59b1-a0f2-2cab1248e8f8.html "First Freedom Center Opening and Commemoration " By JOHN RAMSEY RTD January 16, 2015

References

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External links

The Valentine First Freedom Center
Museums in Richmond, Virginia Religious museums in Virginia History museums in Virginia Education in Richmond, Virginia Charities based in Virginia Non-profit organizations based in Richmond, Virginia