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Washington's Letter to the Newport Rhode Island Jewish Community in 1790 in 10 Minutes
In August 1790, a newly elected President George Washington traveled to Rhode Island to celebrate the state's ratification of the Constitution—a trip that would produce one of the foundational documents of American liberty. Upon visiting Newport's Jewish community, Washington received a letter from Moses Seixas, warden of the Touro Synagogue, asking if the young republic would truly grant religious minorities equal rights rather than conditional tolerance. Washington's 340-word response was a resounding declaration: flipping the old European model on its head, he asserted that religious…
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