Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. I.djvu/207

JAMES MADISON 167 place thereof it was enacted "that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess and, by argument, maintain their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." In thus abolishing religious tests Virginia came to the front among all the American states, as Massachusetts had come to the front in the abolition of negro slavery. Nearly all the states still imposed religious tests upon civil office-holders, from simply declaring a general belief in the infallibleness of the Bible, to accepting the doctrine of the Trinity. Madison s "Religious Freedom Act" was translated into French and Italian, and was widely read and com mented upon in Europe. In our own history it set a most valuable precedent for other states to follow. The attitude of Mr. Madison with regard to paper money was also very important. The sev eral states had then the power of issuing promis sory notes and making them a legal tender, and many of them shamefully abused this power. The year 1786 witnessed perhaps the most virulent craze for paper money that has ever attacked the Ameri-