Elder John Leland

Elder John Leland was a courageous leader of Baptist doctrine, an ardent advocate of the principles of democracy, and a vindicator of the separation of church and state. Near this spot in 1788, Leland and James Madison, the father of the American Constitution, held a significant interview that resulted in Virginia's adoption of the Constitution. Madison, then a member of Congress from Orange, later presented the First Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing religious liberty, free speech, and a free press, which satisfied Leland and his Baptist followers.

Virginia · United States