George Washington, letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (17 August 1790); reported in The Writings of George Washington (1939) edited by John C. Fitzpatrick, Vol. 31, p. 93
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For 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…. 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 every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.

— George Washington on Freedom of religion

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "For 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…. 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 every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid." in the context of "George Washington, letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (17 August 1790); reported in The Writings of George Washington (1939) edited by John C. Fitzpatrick, Vol. 31, p. 93" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Freedom of religion" (W) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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George Washington

About George Washington

George Washington (22 February 1732 – 14 December 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Second Continental Congress as commander of the Continental Army in June 1775, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and then served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted and ratified the Constitution of the United States and established the American federal government. Washington has thus been called the "Father of his Country".