Happy 275th birthday, James Madison! At my job in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I’ve created a small historical exhibit to honor the fourth president, James Madison, from nearby Montpelier, Virginia.

A few days ago, when James Madison University, a major university I can see from the Heritage Center where I work, celebrated James’s 275th birthday, we did the same. We brought in bagel bites, muffins, candles, and a Jimmy Madison bobblehead. About fifteen volunteer carpenters had come to work for the day, and at lunch, around tables, they humored me by singing “Happy Birthday” to James Madison.

In the earlier Julian calendar, Madison was born on March 6. In the Gregorian calendar, adopted in the United States when James was one, his birthday moved to March 16. Take your pick — JMU and the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center each had a party in Harrisonburg, Va., on March 6 (Julian), but March 16, 2026 (Gregorian), is Madison’s 275th birthday.

So here’s a tribute to the political philosopher who brought religious freedom to the United States. I’m a Mennonite, and for these 250 years of the United States, my people have been privileged to worship in freedom, even with minority religious beliefs. Madison’s First Amendment says it all: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”