Freedom as defined is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wishes without hindrance or restriction. The search for religious freedom is what has driven many people to protest, or even to the point of fleeing their home country to be able to practice and preach what they believe. There are many stories in history that show how people stood up and fought for their religion even before we became the United States of America. The people who came on the Mayflower, and Roger Williams, are both examples of people who were not given religious freedom to begin with but went against what they knew to acquire it. Through George Washington's letter he managed to reassure not only the Jewish congregations but all religions. It states that natural rights apply to religious freedom. Independence is America's trademark, it's what our country was built on and fought so hard for. While Americans have at times struggled to accept religious diversity, our government has maintained a firm commitment to religious tolerance. As we all know, colonists explored and came to America with the hope of a new beginning. Among their many goals, perhaps the pursuit of religious freedom was the most influential and morally valid reason for coming to this new land. Due to England moving away from the Roman Catholic Church and creating its own religion, the Church of England was founded in 1500. When this new church began, many did not accept it, including the Puritans and Pilgrims who fled to America because they were persecuted. For a time, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was a religious paradise. However, after the intolerance and discrimination that caused Roger Williams occurred, a political issue and re...... at the heart of the paper ...... that was discussed was the case of Lee v. Weisman (1992) a Rhode Island prince, Robert E. Lee invited a rabbi to speak at the school's graduation ceremony. With a failed attempt to stop the rabbi speaking at his daughter's graduation, Weisman called for a ban on religious speech in schools. When it was taken to court it was found to be against the first amendment because it was a government-run public school. So personal prayers inflict on people's freedom. Today, people's freedom is still very important. With government support, George Washington was able to identify the basic principles of spiritual permission in his letter to the Jewish Congregation. This has reassured confidence in our new government and our nation. Despite some obstacles, the United States of America continued to pursue George Washington's standards.