Neo-Nazi Theory (American founding fathers)
|
Over the past few decades, neo-Nazi groups in the United States and elsewhere have floated rumors that the founders of the United States held anti-Semitic views. This page discusses the phenomenon.
George Washington
In recent years a number of anti-Semitic groups have promoted a forged "quote" supposedly written by George Washington. Historians have debunked this quote as a forgery [1] (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/thejews.htm).
In fact, in 1790 Washington sent a letter to the Jewish community in Rhode Island, writing that he envisioned a country "which gives bigotry no sanction ... persecution no assistance". For the first time in history, Jews lived in a country where they enjoyed full and equal human and political rights - as a birthright of citizenship [2] (http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/US-Israel/bigotry.html).
Benjamin Franklin
A similar allegation regarding Benjamin Franklin has also been thoroughly discredited. [3] (http://www.adl.org/special_reports/franklin_prophecy/franklin_intro.asp) He was a patron of the first synagogue in America.