When George Washington was inaugurated President of the United States, the people saw him as the embodiment of the struggle for independence. Americans greeted him with parades, fireworks, speeches, congratulatory messages wherever he went.

In the period from May 1789 (immediately following his inauguration) to December 1790 (a year before the Bill of Rights became law), the President received thirteen letters from religious communities praising his leadership, congratulating him on his ascendency to the Presidency, and suggesting (some none too subtly) that the government create policies favorable to each group's rights and beliefs.

The Constitution itself only addressed the issues of religious liberties and the separation of church and state by stating in Article VI that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." During this period, Washington and other founders worked to write, refine, and pass the consititutional amendments known as The Bill of Rights.

These modifications to the core document were particularly critical to the religious bodies that had lacked full rights under colonial governments. Roman Catholics, Quakers, Jews, and other small Protestant sects had been subject to discriminatory laws restricting their civil and economic liberties, and each was eager to have the government – particularly the President – acknowledge and protect their rights.

In each case, Washington replied quickly, frequently borrowing phrases from the letters sent to him for his response. He consistently promised that "liberty of conscience" would be protected in the United States with one condition: that all "who demean themselves as good citizens" would be afforded the freedom to worship as they pleased without interference from the government.