This historic piece of legislation - "A Bill Establishing A Provision For Teachers Of The Christian Religion" - was proposed by Mr. Give me liberty or give me death! In a nutshell, Patrick Henry wanted the tax monies of Virginians to be allocated to spread the teachings of Christianity.
Although it was a states' right issue, a fellow Virginian was thoroughly underwhelmed by Henry's proposal. James Madison stated that it was "a dangerous abuse of power." The Father of the Constitution's famous, forceful rebuttal, written in 1785, is called "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments."
