As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, historical documents from the nation’s formative years are being re-examined for the ideals they helped establish. Among these is a significant, yet lesser-known, exchange from 1790 involving John Carroll, the inaugural Catholic bishop in the United States, and President George Washington. This correspondence was pivotal in addressing a fundamental question for the nascent republic: Could Catholics, who had faced deep suspicion under British rule, truly achieve equal citizenship in America?
The definitive answer to this query is still preserved within the archives of the Library of Congress.
Situated approximately 50 feet from Dr. Kevin Butterfield’s office in the Library’s Manuscript Division, the original letter from Bishop Carroll to President Washington is meticulously maintained within the extensive collection of George Washington Papers.
Dr. Butterfield, who serves as the acting chief of the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, noted that Washington dedicated much of 1790 to engaging with the entire nation. “He connected with the people because he believed that it was important as the new president that they interact directly with him and have a chance to see the new government in action,” Butterfield explained.
The Founding Question of Inclusion
During his first year in office, as President Washington traveled across the states, he received numerous letters from religious congregations, civic organizations, and local communities. These messages often sought assurances regarding their standing within the new federal framework. One such communication was a March 1790 address from John Carroll, who became the first Catholic bishop in the U.S. after the Vatican established the nation’s initial diocese in Baltimore in 1789, and other prominent Catholic leaders. Their inquiry centered on whether Catholics, historically regarded with distrust under British dominion, would be fully embraced in the new republic.
Michael Breidenbach, dean of the Honors College at Ave Maria University, emphasized that this exchange serves as a reminder that Catholics were not merely beneficiaries of the nation’s founding but were active participants in its formation. “As America approaches its 250th anniversary, there is a heated debate about whether the nation’s foundation had Protestant, secular or other roots,” he observed. “Often missing from these conversations are the Catholic contributions to the American founding.”
According to Butterfield, Carroll’s letter stood out due to its direct appeal for the complete inclusion of Catholics in the new nation. He elaborated, “They were sharing their thoughts about religious liberty and the importance of having a nation where they were included as full citizens.”
For generations preceding the American Revolution, Catholic priests had ministered in the American colonies. However, it was not until the Vatican established the Diocese of Baltimore in 1789 that a Catholic bishop was appointed in the United States. Carroll was consecrated the following year, assuming the role of the country’s first bishop.
Catholic Contributions and Historical Context
Reading from the original manuscript, Butterfield highlighted the specific passage that encapsulated the Catholics' plea:
Whilst our country preserves her freedom and independence, we shall have a well-founded title to claim from her justice equal rights of citizenship as the price of our blood spilt under your eyes and of our common exertions for her defense.
These words served as a powerful reminder to Washington of the Catholics’ unwavering support and participation throughout the Revolutionary War.
“Carroll’s remembering eight years of George Washington’s service as commander in chief through the bloody war for independence and saying, as Washington fully knew, Catholics were a part of that battle from the start and served under his leadership to win independence,” Butterfield stated.
For centuries before the American Revolution, Catholics in England and many of its colonies faced extensive legal and social restrictions. Catherine O'Donnell, a historian at Arizona State University, explained the prevailing sentiment: “It’s important to understand that many English people and colonists mistrusted Catholics. They were thought to be loyal to Rome rather than to their countrymen, and to lack independence of mind.”
Catholics were often prohibited from holding public office, denied the right to vote, compelled to swear oaths rejecting papal authority, and in some colonies, forbidden from openly practicing their faith.
Bishop Carroll personally experienced this discrimination. As a child, he was sent to Europe to receive a Catholic education because such schooling was unavailable in his home state of Maryland. He later joined the Jesuits, a Catholic religious order renowned for its commitment to education, missionary work, and scholarship. While the Jesuits eventually became deeply integrated into American Catholic life, Carroll’s early formation had to occur overseas due to the severe limitations on Catholic institutions in the colonies.
Yet, rather than advocating for a return to an established Catholic state, Carroll believed the new American republic offered a superior alternative. “He thought the separation of church and state was a good thing,” O’Donnell affirmed.
She described the letter to Washington as both sincere and strategically crafted. “Carroll admired Washington throughout Washington’s life,” O’Donnell noted. “This letter was sincere and also in a way strategic: Carroll wanted Washington to publicly affirm Catholics’ welcome place in the new nation.” She added that if the letter was a test, it was one Carroll fully expected Washington to pass.
Carroll was not alone in this endeavor; he was joined by several of the nascent nation’s most prominent Catholic figures. The address bore the signatures of his cousin Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the sole Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as his relative Daniel Carroll, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, and Congressman Thomas FitzSimons of Pennsylvania. Collectively, they asserted that American Catholics had earned equal rights of citizenship through their vital contributions to the Revolutionary War and the nation’s founding.
Breidenbach, author of Our Dear-Bought Liberty: Catholics and Religious Toleration in Early America, remarked, “American Catholics’ remarkable transformation — from being suspected subjects of a king to being trusted citizens of a new republic — is wonderfully illustrated in Bishop John Carroll’s 1790 letter to George Washington.”
Washington's Vision for a Diverse Republic
Washington’s response left no ambiguity about his stance. He expressed gratitude to Catholics for the “patriotic part” they had played during the Revolution and stated that they were already “realizing, instead of anticipating, the benefits of the general Government.”
Butterfield suggested that this response was indicative of Washington’s broader vision for the country. Summarizing Washington’s message, Butterfield explained, “As long as you demean yourself as a good citizen and follow the laws, it doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are. You’re fully a part of the nation.”
Washington, Butterfield elaborated, understood the profound impact of every public statement he made in defining the new republic. “He is fully aware that he is a symbol of the nation, that the words that he speaks have consequences, that every word that he says matters.”
Washington consistently applied this principle in his correspondence with other minority religious communities, including the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.
O’Donnell underscored that Washington’s approach went beyond mere “toleration.” She explained that “toleration” would imply granting special permission for a group to exist and worship. Instead, Washington asserted that “all good citizens have the same rights regardless of religion.”
While several states maintained religious restrictions for decades, the new federal government embarked on a different path. Even before the First Amendment was ratified, Article VI of the Constitution explicitly prohibited religious tests for federal office. Washington, who had presided over the Constitutional Convention, steadfastly upheld this principle throughout his presidency.
“At the national level from day one, this was an experiment in religious freedom,” Butterfield commented.
Enduring Legacy of a Pivotal Exchange
The correspondence itself survived because Washington recognized that his papers would be significant for future generations. According to Butterfield, Washington meticulously preserved his collection, bequeathing it to his nephew, Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington. Congress later acquired the papers in 1834, and they were subsequently transferred from the State Department to the Library of Congress, where they remain housed today.
The Carroll letter is now one of approximately 77,000 items within the George Washington Papers. While researchers worldwide can access digitized versions, the original manuscript is only retrieved under rare circumstances to ensure its preservation.
O’Donnell believes the lessons derived from this exchange extend beyond the scope of Catholic history. “I think that it’s valuable for Americans to understand that the history of the founding period contains just about everything: ideals such as religious liberty and prejudices, such as those against Catholics,” she reflected.
She also contends that the correspondence highlights the critical role of public leadership. Washington’s conviction that good citizenship did not necessitate any specific religious views “seems timely,” O’Donnell stated. Equally relevant, she added, is Carroll’s belief that “public exchanges about important matters can help make ideals part of people’s sense of their community, rather than just a theoretical set of rights.”
More than two centuries later, this exchange remains far more than a forgotten piece of correspondence. It captures an early, pivotal moment when one of America’s smallest religious minorities questioned whether the promises of the Revolution truly extended to them — and when the nation’s first president unequivocally affirmed that they did.
