Inspiring Teachers to Inspire Students
The educational programs of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom are designed to prepare this nation’s teachers to assist their students to study and learn about the principles of “liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship,”as expressed in Washington’s “Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI”. The Institute intends for its programs to provide teachers with the tools and skills to inspire students to take responsibility for maintaining America's tradition of religious freedom.
Programs and Projects
Teaching Partnerships
In 2010, the Institute activated important partnerships with two of the nation’s leading civic education enrichment organizations.
- Bill of Rights Institute, Arlington, Virginia, (http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/).
For 10 years this national organization has trained teachers to educate young people about the liberties guaranteed in our founding documents.
- Facing History and Ourselves,
Innovative Technology
This website, www.gwirf.org, launched in September, 2010, serves as a resource repository for educators, and offers interactive exhibits, downloadable classroom materials, and timely news articles for teachers and students on religious freedom.
Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue
The first project of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom was construction of the Loeb Visitors Center(www.loebtouro.org) on the campus of Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI. Touro is the oldest extant synagogue in the U.S.The exhibits at the Visitors Center tell of Newport’s key role in the origins of religious liberty and the separation of church and state in our fledgling nation. A focal point of the exhibition is an exploration of President George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport,RI, sent after his visit to the town in August, 1790. The words of his letter resonate even in today’s headlines:
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
Annual “Good Citizens” Washington Letter Reading Program
In February 2010, the Institute launched an annual effort to bring President Washington’s letter into high school classrooms. During the week of Washington’s birthday, public officials and George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom representatives visited schools throughout Rhode Island to read and study the letter with students. 30,000 copies of the letter were delivered directly to school administrators for distribution to the students.
The program was held in partnership with both the Office of Rhode Island Governor Carcieri and the Rhode Island Department of Education.
Our goal is to promote an annual letter reading, pairing schools and public officials, in all 50 states.
Essay Contests
The George Washington Institute has sponsored annual Essay Contests in three high schools for several years. Contest questions draw attention to the Washington Letter’s contemporary relevance. To compete successfully, students needed to study and interpret source materials and to observe and comment on both historical and current events. During the 2008-2009 academic year, the program reached over 75,000 teachers around the nation through a close partnering with the First Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia (www.firstfreedom.org) that set the George Washington Letter as the Center’s 16th annual national essay contest theme.
A follow up survey found that 87% of respondents reported that their participation in the essay contest increased their understanding of, and respect for, religious diversity.
