Noon to 4 PM
César Chávez Park
10th St and J St
Education Goals
- Promote accurate understanding of the heritage of liberty of conscience
- Raise public consciousness regarding secular governance (legal neutrality)
- Educate the public regarding the contributions of freethought and freethinkers in advancing human rights and in establishing and preserving a religion/government separation in the United States
Community Goals
- Foster participation of organizations with mutual understanding of and support of the mission
- Present a positive image to the public
Freethought Day commemorates a decision that took place over 300 years ago in Massachusetts. Activists venerating the decision instituted what has evolved into an annual outdoor observance in Sacramento, California.
History of Freethought Day
October 12 — One Step Forward
Over 300 years ago, on October 12, 1692, Governor William Phipps of the Colony of Massachusetts made a decision that brought to an end the horrendous Salem Witch trials.
A Christian, nevertheless he declared that spectral evidence (supernaturalism) would no longer be admissible in court, and so the trials, due to lack of appropriate evidence, came to an end. The governor’s decision was a distinct departure from the general community’s extant thinking and a giant step on the path toward the principle of legal neutrality that would, when the United States incorporated into its brand new Constitution a Bill of Rights, assure each U.S. citizen the freedom to follow his/her conscience regarding matters of ultimate belief.
