Arguably the most radical and beneficial concepts spawned by the American Revolution are enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In fact, it is often argued, I believe accurately, that James Madison assured John Leland, the most prominent Baptist leader of the early Federal era, that if the Baptists voted for ratification of the Constitution, Madison would guarantee the first Congress under that new government would pass what came to be known as the First Amendment. Without that guarantee, Leland could not have persuaded his fellow Baptists to vote overwhelmingly for ratification. And if the Baptists had not voted in a landslide for ratification, the Constitution might well have failed to be approved. Â