Rare George Washington Letter Resurfaces Praising God For the U.S. Constitution

After decades out of the public eye, a letter has resurfaced from George Washington in which he praises God for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and is now up for sale.

The letter from George Washington was written to Richard Peters, Speaker of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and a former member of the Continental Congress is dated September 7, 1787. In the letter Washington thanks God for the ratification of the United States Constitution, which was passed in Philidelphia a year before.

“It would seem from the public Gazettes that the Minority in your State are preparing for another attack of the – now – adopted Government; how formidable it may be; I know not,” Washington wrote. “But that Providence which has hitherto smiled on the honest endeavors of the well-meaning part of the People of this Country will not, I trust, withdraw its support from them at this crisis.”

The letter is being sold by the historical document dealer The Rabb Collection and is priced at $140,000.

In a post made by The Rabb Collection, the historical document dealer explains how George Washington’s Mount Vernon provides some historical context for Washington’s use of the term ‘Providence,’ pointing out that he’s clearly referring to God.

The historical organization says, “It is clear that he believed in a Creator God of some manner, and seemingly one that was also active in the universe. This God had three main traits; he was wise, inscrutable, and irresistible. Washington referred to this God by many names, but most often by the name of ‘Providence.'”

“Washington, who was the General in Chief of the Continental Army during the war and President of the Constitutional Convention makes a remarkable statement in this powerful letter: his victory in battle and his stewardship over the Convention that led to our Constitution came with the guiding influence of a higher power,” Nathan Raab, president of the Raab Collection, said in a statement.

The Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates to the convention on Sept. 17, 1787.

According to Fox News, the letter was written at a time when the states where questioning the Constitution. Some states were even considering holding a second convention to possibly rewrite it, which led Washington to pen the letter.