President George Washington, “Letter to the Jewish congregation of Newport, Rhode Island” (1790)
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.”
The complete text and story of Washington’s letter to the Touro Synagogue can be found at the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732.
