George Washington Letter, 1790
Washington’s Letter to the Jews of Newport
President George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, is relatively short in length, but its impact on American life is immense. In 340 well-chosen words, the letter reassured those who had fled religious tyranny that life in the new nation would be different, that religious “toleration” would give way to religious liberty, and that the government would not interfere with individuals in matters of conscience and belief. Quoting the Bible’s Old Testament, Washington wrote, every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig-tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.
He continues:
“For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” 1
When he wrote this particular letter in August of 1790, the new President may have been aware of the effect it would have on the fledgling nation, but he could not have known the extent of its influence today. The history behind Washington’s letter gives a better understanding of the values of the early colonists and our Founding Fathers and showcases two fundamental tenets of American democracy: the separation of church and state and the right of individuals to believe in and practice their religion.
Washington Comes to Newport, Rhode Island
Newly elected President George Washington arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, on August 17, 1790. He traveled with Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Governor George Clinton of New York, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Blair of Virginia, and U.S. Congressman William Loughton Smith of South Carolina.
Washington traveled to the New England states the previous fall “to acquire knowledge of the face of the Country the growth and Agriculture thereof and the temper and disposition of the Inhabitants towards the new government.” He deliberately bypassed Rhode Island because the state at that time was the only one not to have ratified the Constitution. There were several reasons for this reluctance to ratify. Most important to Rhode Island history today is that in its original form, the Constitution did not explicitly protect religious freedom, a core Rhode Island principle introduced by Roger Williams and protected in its 1663 Royal Charter.
Finally, with pressure mounting from some Rhode Island cities and the other states, on May 29, 1790, Rhode Island held a convention and ratified the Constitution. Now the President felt that a trip to the state to acknowledge the recent ratification and promote the passage of the Bill of Rights was prudent.
Citizens of Newport Address Their New President:
We now behold a government, erected by the Majesty of the People …
Leading citizens of Newport and representatives from the many religious denominations present in the city were amongst the group greeting the new President. Politicians, business leaders, and clergy presented letters of welcome, and Moses Seixas, Warden of the Jewish congregation in town, was the author of one such letter. The address written by Seixas was an elegant expression of the delight the Jewish community felt towards Washington as a leader and in the new democratic government. Seixas wrote:
Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of free Citizens, we now with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty disposer of all events behold a Government, erected by the Majesty of the People — a Government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance — but generously affording to All liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship: deeming every one, of whatever Nation, tongue, or language equal parts of the great governmental Machine… 2
But in a terrible irony, the crowd may also have included some of the enslaved people living in Newport. Many of Newport’s wealthy citizens, across religious lines, owned slaves and participated in the slave trade. During the mid-eighteenth century, individuals of African descent, both free and enslaved, made up roughly 30 percent of Newport’s population. This fact highlights one of the central paradoxes of America — the intermingling of noble ideals about liberty and freedom with the poison of slavery and racism.
A few days after leaving Newport, the President wrote to the citizen groups who had addressed him, thanking them for their hospitality and graciousness. First among them was his reply to Moses Seixas and the Jewish community in Newport. The response by Washington went beyond simple courtesy and was a message to all Americans. He assured readers that under governmental law, religion would not stand as a basis for discrimination. He eloquently replied:
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
Religion and Ratification
The role of government and religion was a particular sticking point in the debate over the ratification of the Constitution. In England and Europe, state-sponsored religion was the norm, and non-participants of the official Church/religion often suffered severe consequences. While there was no state-sanctioned religion in the American colonies, most original governing charters drew no line between church and state. The prevailing belief was that a “just and moral government” had to be created based on “Christian” principles. Non-Christians were only to be tolerated, frequently with the hope that they (“Jews, Turks, and Infidels”) would ultimately convert to Christianity. Several states taxed residents to support religious organizations, and the rights of minority religious groups were often restricted. Non-Christians were often not able to become full citizens. Even in religiously liberal Rhode Island, Jews were not allowed to vote, but their status as merchants and economic contributors protected them from overt discrimination.
In its original form, the Constitution did little to guarantee the absolute right to religious choice. Article six of the Constitution only affirmed that there was no religious test for elected office. It was not until the First Amendment that this inherent right became law. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
To get the Bill of Rights and this amendment passed by the required majority of the states, Washington sought help from both politicians and clergy. He received many letters of congratulation upon becoming President in 1789 from religious organizations praising his leadership in the fight to maintain religious liberty in the new country. In his responses, Washington clearly expressed his desire to see liberty of conscience as the law of the land. He wrote to the United Baptist churches in Virginia, the General Assembly of Presbyterian churches, the Methodists, the Congregational ministers, the annual meeting of the Quakers, and the Roman Catholics. Each letter stressed freedom of religion as an attainable ideal and Washington pledged that the new country would preserve the right to worship “each according to his conscience and to his God.”
American Jewish congregations were also eager to send greetings to President Washington. In May 1790, Levi Sheftall of Mikveh Israel in Savannah, Georgia, wrote to the President thanking him for his staunch support of religious freedom. Leaders from Congregation Shearith Israel in New York then asked the Congregations of Newport, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Charleston, to send one letter from the entire Jewish community. Moses Seixas, from the Congregation in Newport, replied on July 2, 1790. He felt that although the congregation leaders liked the idea of a joint address, they were reluctant to give offense to the state legislature by addressing the President before that body had done so. Consequently, the congregation waited until the President visited Newport in August of 1790 to address him separately. The remaining Congregations in New York, Richmond, Philadelphia, and Charleston prepared a joint letter sent in December 1790.
Washington’s reply to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, was sent on August 21, 1790. Like in his other letters to Jewish groups, the President explicitly acknowledged the participation of Jews in the building of the new nation. The Newport letter, however, stands out for its unequivocal language. Washington wrote, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other Inhabitants.” He goes on to oppose the mere “toleration” of religious differences and instead emphasizes religious liberty in “the exercise of inherent natural rights,” echoing the Declaration of Independence.
American historian Melvin Urofsky wrote:
Although this letter carries with it a unique and cherished significance for American Jewry, in many ways it is a treasure of the entire nation. America, as de Tocqueville [a French political thinker and historian who visited America in the early 1800s] famously wrote, had been “born free,” unfettered by the religious and social bigotries of medieval Europe. The United States, although initially founded by people from the British Isles, had well before the Revolution become a haven of many peoples from continental Europe seeking political and religious freedom and economic opportunity. The new nation recognized this diversity for what it was, one of the country’s greatest assets, and took as its motto E Pluribus Unum — Out of Many, One…. The separation of church and state, and with it the freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, has made the United States a beacon of hope to oppressed peoples everywhere. 3
Washington’s commitment to religious liberty, the involvement of all people in the new democracy, and the campaign for passage of the Bill of Rights came together on that August day in Newport, Rhode Island. The result is the Letter to the Hebrew Congregations of Newport, a profound statement of the values that make America an example to the world.
Gentlemen:
While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.
The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security. If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy — a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.
G. Washington
Endnotes and citations
1 “Letter to the Jews of Newport”, 18 August 1790, Washington Papers, 6:284-85
2 “Moses Seixas on behalf of Congregation Yeshuat Israel, to George Washington, 17 August 1790,” in Dorothy Twohig, et. al., eds. The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series. University Press of Virginia, 1986, 6:286n.1.
3 Newport Jewry and The Touro Synagogue. Melvin Urofsky, unpublished Manuscript, 2003, p.98.
Congregation Jeshuat Israel
