In celebration of Religious Freedom Day, join James Madison’s Montpelier and The Valentine for the first lecture in this season of Life, Liberty & Happiness with Dr. Edward L. Ayers as he explores themes of freedom of conscience and faith in his newest book, American Visions: The United States, 1800-1860.  In American Visions, Dr. Ayers examines bold visionaries who built vigorous traditions of dissent and innovation into the foundation of the nation. Join us on this important day as we consider how bold individuals in the 19th century shaped our understanding of faith, consciousness and freedom today.

Dr. Edward L. Ayers is University Professor of the humanities and President Emeritus at the University of Richmond. Dr. Ayers has received the Bancroft and Lincoln Prizes for his scholarship and is the Executive Director of New American History and Bunk.

Life, Liberty & Happiness: New Perspectives on Founding Ideas is a collaboration between James Madison’s Montpelier and the Valentine First Freedom Center that explores the evolution and contemporary relevance of America’s founding philosophies and highlights scholars whose work contributes to reinterpreting what “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” means today.

Location: The Valentine First Freedom Center, 14 South 14th Street, Richmond VA 23219

Parking: Available with validation at the Standard Parking Plus deck at 1410 E. Cary Street.

Montpelier is a memorial to James Madison and the Enslaved Community, a museum of American history, and a center for constitutional education that engages the public with the enduring legacy of Madison’s most powerful idea: government by the people.

Located in at the site where the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom was signed in 1786, the Valentine First Freedom Center celebrates this important history by exploring the past, present and future of freedom of conscience in America.