How did John Locke influence Thomas Jefferson’s arguments for religious freedom?

John Locke significantly influenced Thomas Jefferson’s arguments for religious freedom by providing a philosophical framework that separated the realms of government and religion.12

In his influential work, A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke argued that the state’s legitimate purpose is limited to protecting civil interests—such as life, liberty, and property—rather than the salvation of souls. He maintained that religious belief must be a matter of individual conscience and cannot be compelled by state force or coercion, as true faith requires the inward persuasion of the mind.13

These Lockean principles were instrumental in shaping Jefferson’s own views, most notably in his "Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia". Jefferson later utilized this foundation to articulate the concept of a "wall of separation between Church & State," a metaphor he famously employed in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists to explain the protections afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.24