In 1790, President George Washington received an address from the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, articulating his vision of religious freedom and affirming the equal status of Jewish-American citizens. Washington's response to Moses Seixas, representing the congregation, became a key statement on religious liberty in the U.S. The exchange appeared in several newspapers at the time.
Washington wrote, "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights...[The Government] 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."
Jewish immigrants first arrived in the U.S. in 1654, settling in New York, and in Newport, Rhode Island, by 1658, seeking religious freedom. By the time of the Declaration of Independence, they had established thriving synagogues.
The Touro Synagogue, designed by Peter Harrison and built between 1759 and 1763, remains the oldest surviving synagogue from the colonial era in North America. The struggles of those seeking religious freedom influenced the Founding Fathers, leading to the drafting of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion. James Madison drafted the amendment, which was ratified in 1791, stating that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Even before the First Amendment, in 1776, the Continental Congress resolved to protect those of all nations and religions. Despite this, some states maintained state-sponsored churches into the 19th century, and Utah was founded by Mormons seeking refuge from persecution. The Library of Congress has an online exhibition called Religion and the Founding of the American Republic which traces the struggles over religion in the colonies and the Early Republic.