THE AMERICAN MUSEUM, OR, UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE, FOR JUNE 1791. WITH, AMONG OTHER INTERESTING ARTICLES, 'ADDRESS OF THE HEBREW CONGREGATION IN NEWPORT, RHODE-ISLAND, TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUGUST 17, 1790'.
Philadelphia: Mathew Carey, 1791. 285-344, 48 [Appendix I], 40 [Appendix II], 48 pp [as issued]. Seixas's 'Address' appears in Appendix II of the June, 1791 issue at page 40. Scattered light foxing. Disbound. Early, crude stitching to repair tears at pages 299-302 [some loss]. Good+.
"Born on March 28, 1744, Moses Seixas was a first generation Jewish-American whose parents migrated from Lisbon, Portugal, to Newport, Rhode Island. Seixas rose to prominence as warden of Newport's Touro Synagogue of Congregation Jeshuat Israel, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Rhode Island, and co-founder of the Bank of Rhode Island. Seixas is best remembered for the congratulatory letter he penned on behalf of his congregation to then recently inaugurated President George Washington in 1790. Written just months after Rhode Island became the last state to ratify the United States Constitution, Seixas sought assurances that the enumerated rights of freedom of religion and enfranchisement would apply to American Jews in the new republic. Although Washington received similar letters from other religious groups, Seixas' letter was among the first to assert that America was founded on the principle of religious liberty" ["Moses Seixas", George Washington's Mount Vernon website, accessed on May 01, 2026.]
Seixas wrote, "Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of free Citizens, we now with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty disposer of all events behold a Government, erected by the Majesty of the People -- a Government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance -- but generously affording to all Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship."
Washington's famous response [not printed here] echoed Seixas's words: "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."
Many other interesting articles appear in this issue: on the influence of religion in civil society; a long series on the equality of the races; Lord Sheffield on the commerce of the United States; Benjamin Rush on a "Defence of the use of the bible in schools"; the national debt; trade and agriculture; literature and poetry; science; the study of birds; the whale fishery. Item #41182
Price: $2,500.00