George Washington and the Pursuit of Religious Freedom (Full Movie)

[Music] very well i'm here to sign the oath of allegiance that's correct it is march 1754 a young lieutenant colonel is brought before his superiors and presented with a document i do declare there is no transubstantiation in the sacrament of the lord's son it is a vow rejecting the doctrines of the catholic church or in the elements of bread and wine at or after the consecration with war raging between protestant england and catholic france it is required that all officers of the british empire sign it or lose their commission thereof by any person whatsoever he is a patriotic subject both loyal and ambitious and signs with little hesitation lieutenant colonel george washington would then depart with his regiment to fight for the british empire but in time he would come to be britain's great adversary and the great champion of religious freedom [Music] religious faith provides personal connection to morals that shape beliefs and societies but for most of human history there was no separation between church and state most governments required everyone to follow a single religion and those who did not were persecuted religious wars plagued much of the world for centuries protestants were excommunicated by ruling catholics catholics were martyred where protestants ruled jews were demonized expelled and dispersed for many of these unfortunates north america was a chance to begin again when the english established their first colony in virginia in 1607 they brought the church of england with them in 1620 a group of pilgrims arrived at plymouth maryland was founded by roman catholics america's first jews settled in what became new york city quakers chartered pennsylvania enslaved africans carried with them a variety of religious traditions across two centuries north america became a patchwork for many existing faiths and religious practices and sparked the creation of new ones in this society of friends the love of god we have passed laws in this colony your teachings many who sought religious freedom in the colonies did not tolerate religious difference they saw the new world as a place to perfect their own form of worship and often persecuted those who practiced differently new englanders based laws on the bible catholics barred protestants from holding office until the protestants gained power and barred the catholics jews were forbidden from holding office everywhere native american religious practices were brutally suppressed in this world nearly every aspect of life could be regulated by the church in george washington's virginia the anglican church was the established state religion raised in a deeply religious home he was a devout anglican and served as a parish leader all inhabitants were required to pay taxes to support anglican ministers including the growing numbers of dissenters including presbyterians and baptists [Music] people could be fined if they did not attend services the only legal marriages were those performed by a minister of the church of england as a member of the colonial vestry george washington helped enforce these rules if you were in the religious minority often your only liberty was the freedom to go elsewhere and many did [Music] the colonies and their diversity of faiths would prove increasingly difficult to control by the distant british empire in the church of england in 1776 men who worshipped differently came together and declared that under the laws of nature and of nature's gone the thirteen colonies were independent but claims of liberty would not come without a fight the continental congress needed as much support as they could muster [Music] [Applause] people of all faiths would ultimately join the cause [Music] when washington takes command of the continental army he's given the task to make real the bold claims of the declaration of independence but it was a daunting challenge the army was a motley collection of strangers from different cultures and regions and different religious expectations it was a complex issue of leadership how do you discipline and organize an army when they have a diversity of religious practices how do you encourage moral behavior while not requiring a uniformity of belief on the one hand his approach was traditional washington ensured that there were chaplains available and required soldiers attended services when they could [Music] but he also innovated he embraced the religious diversity of the army he made a point of worshipping with different denominations [Music] on religious holidays washington sought amity he emphasized the similarities across the diverse religions of his soldiers and he regularly ordered the army to give thanks to a benign providence [Music] the war proved to washington that people of different beliefs can achieve together in pursuit of a common cause men so different from him had fought with valor and served with loyalty he saw their goodness dedication and he needed them the victory at yorktown in 1781 affirmed the success of washington's leadership the achievement of american independence proved the truth of the declaration and opened up possibilities to reimagine a new republic [Music] uncertainty remained around the relationship between religion and government in the newly independent states [Music] inspired by the enlightenment idea that all people have the right to worship according to the dictates of conscience as well as the acknowledgement that independence could not have been won without the support of people with many faiths the virginia statute for religious freedom written by thomas jefferson severed all connections between church and state but these rights were not guaranteed in all states 1787 saw the creation of the constitution and a new federal government but how would this new government affect the diverse religious practices across the 13 states would all americans be able to worship as they please elected unanimously as the first president of the united states president washington could not imagine a nation without religion believing it was fundamental to a moral republic but he would not require a particular type of religious practice believing it was a violation of individual rights washington noted we should never again see religious disputes carried to such a pitches to endanger the peace of society that would be the challenge could there be national unity without religious uniformity as the new president washington made it a priority to visit communities across the united states to understand the concerns of the american people at each stop he received petitions from political leaders business groups religious communities fraternal organizations and others each congratulated washington on his election and made requests of the new government few were as concerned about religious freedom as america's jewish citizens the first jews had sought refuge throughout the americas after years of exile by 1790 there had been jewish communities in north america for over a century despite anti-semitism and efforts at still they remained a vulnerable minority by the time of washington's inauguration they numbered a few thousand in a nation of more than three million christians [Music] on august 17th washington arrived in newport rhode island he was greeted by the firing of cannon the ringing bells and the enthusiasm of scores of locals [Music] among them moses says a representative of the touro synagogue on behalf of his congregation he delivered a petition which expressed their hope that jewish people could safely practice their religion and would be treated as full citizens [Music] washington replied with a letter to the congregants of the toro synagogue [Music] he hoped that jewish citizens would find goodwill and safety in the united states washington expressed aspiration letter that the federal government be based on freedom of conscience not simply religious tolerance he proclaimed that 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 this was a revolutionary statement washington's letter concluded powerfully by agreeing with moses station's words that the united states gives to bigotry no sanction to persecution no assistance mr mason do you believe we could see six to eight copies of this by the day after tomorrow for our charter members to look over as well such a clear statement of the values of the new nation before the passage of the first amendment to the constitution played a critical role in solidifying the trends towards religious freedom [Music] in the first two years of his presidency washington responded to at least 18 religious communities in a similar manner assuring each that they were safe and free to practice their religion [Music] his words were printed in newspapers throughout the country and even echoed across the atlantic thomas paine who was in paris in support of the french revolution quoted at length from a newspaper copy of washington's letter to the society of quakers that the law should reflect freedom of conscience [Music] washington's assurances were affirmed with the 1791 ratification of the first amendment to the constitution which guaranteed to all citizens that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof religious freedom was now enshrined in the fundamental law of the united states and all the other freedoms of the first amendment of speech of the press of petition and assembly stem from the notion that the state does not have a monopoly on the truth and that the government should not control the rights of individuals to follow their conscience since washington american presidents have maintained the tradition of extending goodwill to faiths around the world [Music] we are still striving to achieve a more perfect union hatred and violence still exist but washington's words live on inspiring those who would listen the founding of the united states was revolutionary in many ways today the establishment of religious freedom remains relevant it is a value that all americans should share and it ought to be emulated around the world when george washington said farewell to the nation it reminded the people that there would always be a place for religion and american life but that people should never live in fear of being prevented from practicing their religion in concluding his letter to the people of the turo synagogue washington expressed the hope that the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness upon our paths and make us all in our several vocations useful here and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: George Washington's Mount Vernon

Views: 373,797

Keywords: Religious Freedom, Persicution, Jewish, Torou Synagogue, George Washington, Founding Era, Founding Fathers, Documentary, Full film, Full documentary, History rescources, History, Religions in America

Id: sFrndBWECI8

Length: 16min 0sec (960 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 20 2022