Discover the rich history of the plantation and historic house on this guided tour. Property pass included in ticket price.
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Description
Description:
Join our 2026 James Madison Fellow, Dr. John Ragosta for our Inaugural Annual Madison Lecture. Dr. Ragosta will explore how James Madison and his colleague Thomas Jefferson were leading advocates of religious freedom, including a strict separation of church and state. They both had political and philosophical reasons for advocating religious freedom. But Madison’s reverential tone in discussing the topic is noteworthy, suggesting a firm religious reason to insist on freedom of conscience.
Bio:
John A. Ragosta, PhD, JD
John Ragosta is a fellow at Virginia Humanities and previously was the Interim Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. He is also the Faculty Director of the Summer Jefferson Symposium at the University of Virginia. He has taught law and history at the University of Virginia, George Washington University, and Hamilton, Oberlin, and Randolph Colleges. Dr. Ragosta’s most recent book – For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle – has received highly favorable reviews in the Wall Street Journal and New York Sun. He is also the author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed (UVA Press, 2013) and several other works. Ragosta, an award-winning author and frequent commentator, holds both a PhD and a JD from UVA; he received an honorary doctorate from Hampden-Sydney College. Before returning to academia, Dr. Ragosta was an international trade partner at Dewey Ballantine LLP where he represented clients before the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, U.S. courts, and administrative agencies. He is also a beekeeper.
Date & Time
Sun, Mar 22, 2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue Details
James Madisons Montpelier
13425 Visitor Center RoadOrange, Virginia 22960
