America 250
As America turns 250, a rare 1790 exchange between Washington and Bishop Carroll takes on new relevance
Bishop John Carroll reminded Washington that Catholics had fought in the Revolution and deserved equal citizenship
Efrat Lachter By Efrat Lachter Fox News
Published June 28, 2026 8:00am EDT
America at 250: The forgotten letter that shaped religious freedom
Library of Congress Acting Chief Dr. Kevin Butterfield explains why George Washington's exchange with John Carroll still matters more than two centuries later.
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, historians are looking back at the founding-era documents that helped define the nation's earliest ideals.
Among them is a little-known 1790 exchange between John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and President George Washington — a correspondence that helped answer a fundamental question facing the young republic: Could Catholics, long viewed with suspicion under British rule, truly become equal American citizens?
The answer still rests today inside the Library of Congress.
About 50 feet from Dr. Kevin Butterfield's office in the Library's Manuscript Division sits the original letter Carroll sent to Washington, preserved among the George Washington Papers.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/america-turns-250-rare-1790-exchange-washington-bishop-carroll-takes-new-relevance
