George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, 18 August 1790: A print in multiple sizes
George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, 18 August 1790: A print in multiple sizes
$15.75
Display-worthy print celebrating George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, which expressed the Founders’ feelings on religious freedom; available in multiple sizes on sturdy, high-quality paper in archival ink
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The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, is the oldest synagogue in the United States. In fact, it was built in 1763, which makes it older than the country itself.
In August 1790, George Washington, who had been elected the first president of the United States, visited Newport after Rhode Island ratified the Constitution, the last of the 13 original colonies to do so. A group of local civic and religious leaders wrote letters of greeting to him. Among them was Moses Seixas, the warden of Congregation Kahal Kadosh Yeshuat Israel, on behalf of the members of the “Hebrew congregation” in the Touro Synagogue.
President Washington wrote letters back. “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,” the president wrote to the synagogue. “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. … 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.” Many of the president’s words were a direct quote from Seixas’s letter — evidence of how much he agreed with what the Jewish leader had written.
This letter is an important example of how the Founders felt about religious freedom and the role the new Constitution and federal government would play in preserving that freedom.
Printed on sturdy, high-quality paper with archival inks and offered in multiple sizes that will fit any space, the print is perfect for display in a classroom, office, or other public space or even at home.
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- United States : 3 - 5 business days
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