As a leading statesman who served in Virginia’s 1776 Convention, which passed the Declaration of Rights, and the House of Delegates from 1784 to 1786, James Madison was able to play a significant role in the struggle to disestablish religion in the state. At the Convention, Madison successfully altered the language of the Declaration of Rights to establish an equal right to the free exercise of religion, thus opening the door for the campaign against religious establishments that followed. By amending the language of the proposed draft from mere toleration to that of equal rights, Madison made a conceptual leap that radically altered how Americans thought about religious toleration. He recognized and firmly rejected the hierarchical assumptions behind the concept of toleration. He became a lifelong advocate of true religious freedom, which offered all citizens equal freedom. Attending the Presbyterian College of New Jersey (Princeton) had a profound impact on Madison’s views and provided him with important ties to the Presbyterian community in Virginia. This chapter reviews the events and ideas that shaped his thinking on the subject and explores Madison’s relationship with Virginia’s dissenters, particularly with Presbyterians.