Washington believed that religious “toleration” would create a nation of religious liberty. The government would not interfere with individuals in matters of conscience and belief. He then quoted 2 Kings 18:31: “Every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” He went on to say that the best America would be one that “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.”35
