Educating Young People about the Constitution

Religious Liberty: The American Experiment Lesson 3 From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

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From Toleration to Liberty

George Washington and the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island
Overview From 1607 through the 1770s, the official policy of colonial and state governments was toleration, meaning that the civil authority could grant or revoke the privilege of free religious exercise by minorities. The period from the 1770s to the 1790s saw a shift to an experiment in true religious liberty in which freedom of conscience was seen as a natural right. This shift was evident in state constitutions, the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S. Bill of Rights. It was given voice, weight and credibility in George Washingtons 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.
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From Toleration to Liberty: George Washington

We have solved, by fair experiment, the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results from leaving everyone to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries. Thomas Jefferson, Reply to Virginia Baptists, 1808.

...[M]aintaining respect for the religious observances of others is a fundamental civic virtue that governmentcan and should cultivateThe founders of our Republic knew the fearsome potential of sectarian religious belief to generate civil dissension and civil strife. And they also knew that nothing is so inclined to foster among religious believers of various faiths a toleration no, an affection for one another than voluntarily joining in prayer together, to the God whom they all worship and seek. Justice Antonin Scalia, Dissenting Opinion, Lee v. Weisman (1992).
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From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Learning goals Understand the evolution of religious liberty from the colonial period to the Founding Era. Assess legal and historical documents as examples of toleration and/or liberty. Analyze George Washingtons 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.

Appreciate Washingtons letter as an early and important example of the shift from religious toleration to religious liberty in America.

From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Read Essay: From Establishment to Free Exercise: Religion, George Washington and the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.

From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Toleration: the policy of the government in accepting/allowing the beliefs/race/ideas of people in the community Tolerance: accepting the beliefs/race/ideas of others in private relationships.

George Masons draft of Article 16 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

James Madisons amendment to Masons draft

From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Work with a partner or two to complete Handout A: Defining Toleration and Liberty. Share results and develop consensus.

Fullest toleration in the exercise of religion

full and free exercise of religion

What does the different wording mean?

The delegates in Virginias legislature approved Madisons wording. How does this amendment demonstrate an important shift in thinking about religion and government?
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From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

A.Continue to work with your partner(s). Read and complete each document excerpt and mark whether it is describes toleration, liberty, or both on Handout B: Religion and Americas Past Toleration, Liberty, or Both? B. Report results. What trends, if any, do you observe over time?

From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

A. Read Handout C: Washingtons Letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, Rhode Island.

From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

B. Work with a partner or two and complete Handout D: Document Guide.

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From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Thinking Questions: How significant is it that this letter was written by a sitting President? Would the letter have carried as much (or more?) weight if it had been written by: --A member of Congress? --A government official who had not attended the Constitutional Convention? --A private citizen? Washington spoke of the role of the U.S. government in giving persecution no assistance and bigotry no sanction. Do private citizens also have this responsibility to each other? Explain. What does Washington say about the distinction between toleration and liberty in the American political experiment? What civic values are required of citizens living in a religiously diverse society? (In addition to the ideas students generate, you may suggest respect, consideration, and humility.)

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From Toleration to Liberty: Washingtons Letter

Homework Students should write a one-page reply to George Washington expressing their opinion on the state of religious liberty in America today. Extensions Distribute Thomas Jeffersons 1802 Letter to the Danbury Baptists in Lesson Three. Students should create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the ideas expressed in Jeffersons letter with those expressed in Washingtons 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.

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