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George Washington’s Letter shows what a great country we live in really is…it shows the greatness of America.

George washingtons letter shows the greatness of america. Source: everystockphoto. Photo by dbking

During our recent visit to Philadelphia, my wife and I saw many historic sites and re-learned some valuable lessons about our great country. We could not wait to get home so that we could discuss these topics with our 6 children, including 3 teenagers.

One of the items we were lucky to see that left a big impression during our stay in Philadelphia was the letter that George Washington wrote to the members of a Jewish synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island. The actual letter penned by the founding father of America was on display at the National Museum of American Jewish History, and my wife and I felt fortunate to not only be able to read the letter and share the thoughts of this great man, but also to see the original letter that he wrote.

George Washington’s Letter Lessons

The entire letter that George Washington created describes how he felt about the emerging country, and why he felt that the United States of America was the greatest country in the world. One paragraph really stood out and can still provide lessons to us today, and it reads:

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, 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.

George Washington (Photo credit: Joye~)

Many today take for granted their life in this great country, without realizing just how lucky we all are when compared to citizens of other nations around the globe. Tolerance and respect for others is part of the American way and is reflected in George Washington’s letter; freedom is fundamental principle of our great nation. Our freedom should never be taken for granted because our freedom was fought for and hard won by our founding fathers.

What Does George Washington’s Letter Mean to You?

Many sacrificed everything so that we could be free today and those sacrifices should never be forgotten. We’d like to hear your thoughts.

• Do you sometimes take for granted the freedoms that you have as a citizen of the USA?
• What would you be willing to give up in order to ensure that everyone in this great country continued to enjoy these freedoms?

More to the point…

• What does this paragraph from George Washington’s letter mean to you?