Hating or looking down on a whole group of people because of who they are. Washington wrote that the government gives bigotry “no sanction.”
Sanction
from the 1790 letter
A yes, or approval. It can also mean a punishment, but here it means a yes.
Persecution
from the 1790 letter
Hurting people, or chasing them out, because of who they are or what they believe. “To persecution no assistance” means the government will not help anyone do that.
Congregation
from the 1790 letter
A group of people who gather together, often in one building. Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport.
Colossus
from the 1883 poem
A giant statue. Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus” is about the Statue of Liberty, a kind giant.
Exile
from the 1883 poem
Being forced to live away from your home country. The poem calls the statue “Mother of Exiles.”
Anthem
from the 1918 song
A song a country sings to show who it is. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the official one, and many people call “God Bless America” a second anthem.
Immigrant
from the timeline
A person who moves to a new country to live there. Irving Berlin came to New York as an immigrant in 1893, at about five years old.
For families: Ask your child what President Washington promised in 1790, and to whom. Then ask what the Statue of Liberty says in Emma Lazarus’s poem. If your own family came to America from somewhere, tell your child when, and from where. That is your family’s card on the timeline.
K–5 Lesson