President George Washington
The Presidents’ Birthdays in February offer a nice opportunity to teach about the rights confirmed by George Washington to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island just after he assumed the presidency of the new United States.
Facing History and Ourselves offers To Bigotry No Sanction: The George Washington Letter Project. This includes a free eBook on teaching the exchange of letters, as well as an archived webinar about the historical context behind the letters.
For further scholarship on the Letter and issues of religious freedom, see the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom. See also this month’s Featured Document and Featured Video on the Sephardic Jews in America and their relationship with the newly established government of the United States.