Facing History and Ourselves has curated a collection of readings, written by staff members and scholars, that touch on the echoes of the letter exchange between George Washington and the Hebrew congregation of Newport. These readings address issues of religion, difference, and identity, and suggest that reflecting on these issues is just as important today as it was in 1790.
Religion in Colonial America
Puritans and Anglicans, Baptists and Quakers, Catholics and Jews, Native Americans and slaves, rationalists and revivalists: long before 1776, American settlers struggled to deal with religious difference. Learn some of the common experiences around religion in colonial culture that shaped the United States' balance among national law, local practice, and individual freedom of belief.
