James Madison's Religion

By Stephen J. Vicchio

What happens when the most private conviction shapes the most public liberty? In James Madison's Religion, discover how James Madison's lifelong wrestling with belief-born in Anglican Virginia, sharpened by Enlightenment reason, and tested in the furnace of politics-became the blueprint for the First Amendment.

Drawing on letters, debates, and long-overlooked manuscripts, this gripping narrative follows Madison from his Presbyterian schooling to the Constitutional Convention and beyond, revealing a statesman who viewed conscience as sacred, pluralism as strength, and state power over religion as the surest path to oppression. Far from a tidy "separation" slogan, Madison's theology of liberty was a rigorous moral realism-one that still guides today's fiercest debates over church, state, and free expression.

Inside you'll discover:

- Madison's evolution of faith-from Anglican roots to an independent, conscience-first philosophy.

- The intellectual sparring with Jefferson, Hamilton, and others that refined his political theology.

- The road to the First Amendment-how ideas became law, and why wording mattered.

- Religion's double edge-its power to elevate civic virtue or enforce conformity.

- Why Madison's pluralism endures-and what it means for modern disputes over speech, belief, and the public square.

This book blends biography, intellectual history, and political analysis to offer a fresh, deeply researched portrait of a founder who believed the freedom of the soul is the cornerstone of a free republic.

If you care about how belief and liberty can coexist-this is the founding story you've been waiting for.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 196283459X
• ISBN13: 9781962834599
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Calumet Editions
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"