The Declaration of Independence was not signed by the entire Continental Congress that day in 1776 in Philadelphia, despite popular belief. In fact, the official signed document was only ordered two weeks later on July 19 and was mostly signed another two weeks after that on August 2.
What happened on the 4th of July is also somewhat misunderstood, because the day the Continental Congress actually voted in favor of independence was two days earlier on July 2 – the day John Adams actually said would be the day remembered in American history and honored with fireworks and celebrations, as noted by the US National Archives. They voted for independence on the 2nd, ratified the Declaration of Independence on the 4th and signed it almost a month later.
The significance of the Declaration of Independence has been analyzed in hundreds of books throughout the years, with much praise especially going to its second sentence, which many have credited with enshrining American values and, as noted by US president Abraham Lincoln, as defining the morals and philosophies with which to interpret the US Constitution. The sentence reads:"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
But the Declaration and the meaning of both this sentence and the War of Independence itself had significant meaning for the Jewish communities of the 13 Colonies, due to the importance of religious freedom.
Concentrated mainly in a few large communities such as New York, Philadelphia, Savannah, Charleston and Newport, the presence of Jews in the colonies during the Revolution and their role in the War of Independence have been well documented.
One notable story was that of Haym Salomon, a wealthy Jew who, at the end of the Revolution, essentially financed the rest of the war.
Another notable figure was Col. Mordecai Sheftall, a prominent member of the Savannah Jewish community and the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the Continental Army.
In one instance, Sheftall and his son were captured by the British alongside patriot Rev. Moses Allen, the latter having been singled out for preaching freedom to his congregation, while Sheftall was singled out for his Jewish faith, according to the Raab Collection, who found and auctioned off newly discovered diary pages from Allen recounting the incident and adding a Jewish dimension to the conflict.
Religious freedom was a significant force in the colonies, which were far more open and tolerant to different faiths compared to Europe. As such, the rights and freedoms Jews held in 13 Colonies were far greater than they would have been anywhere else, being considered citizens and landowners who could hold office and positions of authority without legal reproach.
In recognition of the efforts of the Jewish community in the Revolution, America's first president, George Washington, wrote a letter to members of the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, the oldest synagogue building in the country, having been built in 1763 – though not the oldest congregation, with Shearith Israel in New York being considerably older, having been established in 1654.A staunch defender of religious freedom, Washington promised a separation between church and state as well as freedom of religion, stating in his letter that the US government will give “to bigotry no sanction [and] to persecution no assistance.
“May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants," he wrote, "while every one [sic] shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”