Abstract
Thomas Jefferson is especially remembered for his “wall of separation between Church and State”. However, Jefferson's contribution to religious liberty demands a deeper analysis. In this article, the author argues that Jefferson is original in his pragmatic way of conceptualizing religious liberty and in his detachment from the European Enlightenment. When he adopts an intellectual position different from the Enlightenment philosophers, Jefferson escapes from a model wherein religious liberty becomes state-recognized religion. This pragmatic and legal separation of State and religious spheres, characterized by State disengagement, renders the development of different religious groups possible.