Joel Barlow, Article 11, Treaty of Tripoli (January 3, 1797)
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As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, as it has in itself no character or enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

— Joel Barlow on United States

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, as it has in itself no character or enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." in the context of "Joel Barlow, Article 11, Treaty of Tripoli (January 3, 1797)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "United States" (B) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Joel Barlow

About Joel Barlow

Joel Barlow (24 March 1754 – 26 December 1812) was an American poet and diplomat.