Sen. Roy Blunt (R., Mo.) on Tuesday sponsored a resolution establishing Jan. 16, 2018 as Religious Freedom Day.
The resolution, which recognized the 232nd anniversary of the start of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, states clearly that religious freedom is a fundamental human right.
"Our nation was founded on the principle of religious freedom—the first freedom in the First Amendment to the Constitution," Blunt said in a press release Tuesday.
"Today, we honor that unique aspect of our nation’s history and recommit ourselves to ensuring this fundamental right continues to be protected for people of all faiths, or no faith at all," Blunt added.
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson and enacted on Jan. 16, 1786 and it paved the way for the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
According to the text for the resolution, Jefferson was particularly proud of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and considered it to be one of his greatest achievements.