Thomas Jefferson: Roots of Religious Freedom

Prior to the Revolution, colonial America was hopelessly stagnant. As she was still tied to England's archaic laws and medieval traditions, she found herself imprisoned by a tyrannical king on the other side of the Atlantic. Whatever meager efforts of new ideas she attempted to introduce, she found them ruthlessly squashed by King George III or his unrelenting Parliament. Although many Americans eagerly yearned for freedom from the oppressive rule of the British, they had few ideas what to do with the liberty they so ardently craved. Yes, they wanted independence. However, what would they do with it once they had it? They were like teens who can't wait to leave their secure nests in their parents' homes. So anxious to leave, they have no plan how to survive on their own. Enter Thomas Jefferson. He was a man full of new ideas and an unwavering compulsion to sell them to his country's leadership. However, change was not easy, even with those who so desperately craved independence from British rule. Jefferson was obsessed with his father's dream to somehow, someday, capture the West all the way to the Pacific. However, his active mind was filled with many other dreams. Although he proposed all these during his lifetime, many of them were not realized until after the flowers he always cherished deteriorated on his grave. Those propositions accepted while he was alive took years after he had fought for them before they became the law of the land. Jefferson was taught in his youth by a passionate preacher who promoted religious liberty. As an adult, Jefferson stressed the radical idea of freedom from state-sponsored religion, giving all the opportunity to worship the way they wanted. This earned him the title of 'Father of Religious Liberty'