2012-09-24 19:59:12.450709+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments
A tweet that assorted presidents of note "wouldn't apologize to Muslims" made me do a quick search which turned up: The Library of Congress has an interesting little article on The Founding Fathers and Islam:
... On another occasion, the first president declared that he would welcome "Mohometans" to Mount Vernon if they were "good workmen" ...
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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2012-09-24 21:16:53.847687+00 by: petronius
I'm sure Washington would welcome good Muslim workers, especially if he could buy them cheap....
Of course, Mohometans were distant and exotic in 1789 America, and there seemed little chance that many would show up in Boston. Of course, a few years later we had out first tiff with the Mohometans during the wars against the Barbary pirates.
#Comment Re: made: 2012-09-25 13:23:46.959942+00 by: meuon
And Jefferson would give them a Jefferson Bible, maybe even teach them to read it.
#Comment Re: made: 2012-09-25 14:16:51.408001+00 by: petronius
The kind of Mohometans Jefferson and Franklin would be likely to meet, if any, would have been scholarly, educated gentlemen like themselves. I don't think they would have bumped into the Rage Boy type from the back-alley masques.