In August, 1789, Washington received a letter from the Protestant Episcopal Church, which had just been established after the Revolution. Its theology and worship rituals reflected its origins in the Church of England, with one important difference: Church of England clergy were required to swear publically his allegiance to the British Crown. Protestant Episcopalians were free to worship without declaring their loyalty to a monarch or civil authority. They reinforced the notion of “civil” authority as opposed to religious belief when they wrote:

"As the Representatives of a numerous and extended Church, we most thankfully rejoice in the election of a civil Ruler, deservedly beloved and eminently distinguished among the friends of genuine religion, who has happily united a tender regard for other churches with an inviolable attachment to his own..."

They continued:

“With unfeigned satisfaction we congratulate you on the establishment of the new Constitution of government for the United States, the mild yet efficient operations of which we confidently trust will remove every remaining apprehension of those with whose opinion it may not entirely coincide. . . we confidently hope for the restoration of Order, and our ancient virtues; the extension of genuine religion, and the consequent advancement of our respectability abroad, and of our substantial happiness at home.

In his reply, Washington repeats the above phrases and adds: