This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way.
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Up next, a story on one of the most important series of letters. regarding our nation's great principle. of religious tolerance. Here to tell the story is our regular contributor. and the founder and chairman of Bold Gold Media Group.
Vince Benedetto. Let's get into the story. In August, seventeen ninety, America was a new nation, with a new constitution and a new government. and the country had a war hero for its president. a man the country knew and loved.
Yeah. A one-page thank you letter written by George Washington on August 18th of that year. would set the course of religious liberty and tolerance in America. and pave the path for the passage of the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights. The story of how that letter.
Washington's letter to the Hebrew congregation in Rhode Island, Came to Be, reflects not just his character and ideals. but also his new nations. America's first president understood the importance of visiting the people of the new constitutional republic he was leading, as well as the power of the first three words of the newly ratified Constitution. We. The people.
He spent a good deal of time making ceremonial tours of the nation. visiting the people of the States he had been chosen to serve. The first nine states, the number required for the Constitution's ratification, had been reached by June of seventeen eighty eight. and the Constitution became effective in march, seventeen eighty nine. On april thirtieth, seventeen eighty nine, Washington took his oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City.
Washington was the wonder of his era. He built an army from nothing. Defeated the world's greatest empire. willingly walked away from power. presided over an unprecedented constitutional convention, and was unanimously elected by the Electoral College to be the new republic's first.
First president. Rhode Island was the last of the holdout states. ratifying the Constitution in may, seventeen ninety. Washington understood the gravity of the moment. Visiting the ocean state not only to acknowledge the state's ratification of the Constitution.
but also to promote the passage of the Bill of Rights. When Washington arrived in Newport, he was greeted with an outpouring of affection. Among those welcoming him was Moses Satius. Satius was the warden of Newport's Touro Synagogue. The congregation likely numbered in the hundreds at the time.
and the number of Jewish people in the new nation was no more than two thousand in a country of nearly four million. calling Jewish Americans a minority, would be an understatement. Satius also understood the gravity of the president's visit and took it upon himself to write a letter to Washington on behalf of his congregation. Permit the children of the stock of Abraham to approach you with the most cordial affection and esteem for your person and merits. and to join with our fellow citizens in welcoming you to Newport.
He continued with an analogy comparing the Revolutionary War with the struggles of the ancient tribes of Israel. and likened Washington to King David. Satius then began his short. But powerful appeal on behalf of his congregation and all American Jews, referencing the history of Jewish persecution around the world and throughout history. 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. Satius closed his letter with a prayer for the new president.
for all these blessings of civil and religious liberty which we enjoy under an equal, benign administration. We desire to send up our thanks to the Ancient of Days, the great preserver of men, beseeching him. That the angel who conducted our forefathers through the wilderness into the promised land may graciously conduct you through all the difficulties and dangers of this mortal life. and went like Joshua full of days and full of honor. You are gathered to your fathers.
May you be admitted. into the heavenly paradise to partake of the water of life and the tree of immortality. Washington was moved by these sentiments. On the same day, he responded to the expressions of gratitude with his letter strongly affirming the principles of freedom of religion. Washington's reply to Satius' plea would be the clearest statement on the subject by a nation's leader.
in world history. Unlike so many nations, past and present, ruled by kings and despots who tolerated the Jewish faith. Washington. incorporating some of Satius' own language. proclaimed the following.
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. Four, 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. Washington, revealing his reverence for Scripture, address the Jewish people specifically. 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 everyone shall sit in safety. under his own vine and fig tree. and there shall be none to make him afraid. Washington Speedy. and personal reply was itself significant.
It demonstrated his view. that the president In rights and under law, he is the equal of the citizens, and was elected to serve them rather than have them serve him. Most importantly, The leader of America. himself an Anglican in an overwhelmingly Christian country, address the Jewish people as equals. Washington concluded his letter.
with a prayer of his own. These may very well be the most beautiful words he would ever write. 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.
Washington's letter, no doubt, affected public sentiment. as did his tours of the nation in support of the Bill of Rights. for on December fifteenth, seventeen ninety one, Three-fourths of the states ratified the first ten amendments to the Constitution. And there? in the First Amendment.
was the very first freedom protected from government interference. ahead of freedom of speech or the press, freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise They're up. America was, and still is, a refuge for religious people around the world. and a refuge for atheists and agnostics too.
We have George Washington. and our founders. and Moses Satius too, to thank for it. and two letters. written on the same summer day, back in seventeen ninety one.
And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Monty Montgomery. A special thanks to Joseph Goodwin and to Brian Hilton. And of course, a special thanks to Vince Benedetto. He and I co-wrote this piece. for Newsweek a year or so ago.
and just thought, wow, let's bring this to life. And Vince is a radio guy through and through, a terrific historian, and also a station owner that carries our American stories. A special thanks to Vince. And we were both blown away by the end of that Washington letter. 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, that's the Lord's and way. everlastingly happy. Beautiful words for all of us to live by. The story of tolerance, the real kind, on our American stories.
Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage.
Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Maintenance fee, overdraft fee, minimum balance fee, maximum balance fee. Banking fees are just a part of modern life.
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We have this ability to export our story, and a lot of people have bought it. I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well. From the BBC, it's the United States at 250. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find us on YouTube. Um Paramount Plus is now the home of all your BET favorites.
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