Pennsylvania's 1776 constitution imposed no religious test on voting;
every adult male taxpayer was entitled to vote. It did, however,
require office-holders to acknowledge the divine inspiration of the
Christian Bible. In 1783, a number of Jews living in Philadelphia
objected to the provision and submitted the petition below to state
officials.
Questions to Consider
To what did the authors of the petition object? On what basis did
they object?
How did they seek to appeal to Pennsylvania's non-Jewish majority?
How did they demonstrate the civic virtue of Jews in the United
States?
[Petition of the Philadelphia Synagogue to Council of Censors of
Pennsylvania, December 23, 1783:]
The Memorial of Rabbi Ger. Seixas of the Synagogue of the Jews at
Philadelphia, Simon Nathan their Parnass or President, Asher Myers,
Bernard Gratz and Haym Salomon the Mahamad, or Associates of their
council in behalf of themselves and their brethren Jews, residing in
Pennsylvania,
Most respectfully showeth,
That by the tenth section of the Frame of Government of this
Commonwealth, it is ordered that each member of the general assembly
of representatives of the freemen of Pennsylvania, before he takes his
seat, shall make and subscribe a declaration, which ends in these
words, "I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the old and new Testament
to be given by divine inspiration," to which is added an assurance,
that "no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be
required of any civil officer or magistrate in this state."
Your memorialists beg leave to observe, that this clause seems to
limit the civil rights of your citizens to one very special article of
the creed; whereas by the second paragraph of the declaration of the
rights of the inhabitants, it is asserted without any other limitation
than the professing the existence of God, in plain words, "that no man
who acknowledges the being of a God can be justly deprived or abridged
of any civil rights as a citizen on account of his religious
sentiments." But certainly this religious test deprives the Jews of
the most eminent rights of freemen, solemnly ascertained to all men
who are not professed Atheists.
May it please your Honors,
Although the Jews in Pennsylvania are but few in number, yet liberty
of the people in one country, and the declaration of the government
thereof, that these liberties are the rights of the people, may prove
a powerful attractive to men, who live under restraints in another
country. Holland and England have made valuable acquisitions of men,
who for their religious sentiments, were distressed in their own
countries. -- And if Jews in Europe or elsewhere, should incline to
transport themselves to America, and would, for reason of some certain
advantage of the soil, climate, or the trade of Pennsylvania, rather
become inhabitants thereof, than of any other State; yet the
disability of Jews to take seat among the representatives of the
people, as worded by the said religious test, might determine their
free choice to go to New York, or to any other of the United States of
America, where there is no such like restraint laid upon the nation
and religion of the Jews, as in Pennsylvania. -- Your memorialists
cannot say that the Jews are particularly fond of being
representatives of the people in assembly or civil officers and
magistrates in the State; but with great submission they apprehend
that a clause in the constitution, which disables them to be elected
by their fellow citizens to represent them in assembly, is a stigma
upon their nation and religion, and it is inconsonant with the second
paragraph of the said bill of rights; otherwise Jews are as fond of
liberty as their religious societies can be, and it must create in
them a displeasure, when they perceive that for their professed
dissent to doctrine, which is inconsistent with their religious
sentiments, they should be excluded from the most important and
honourable part of the rights of a free citizen.
Your memorialists beg further leave to represent, that in the
religious books of the Jews, which are or may be in every man's hands,
there are no such doctrines or principles established as are
inconsistent with the safety and happiness of the people of
Pennsylvania, and that the conduct and behaviour of the Jews in this
and the neighbouring States, has always tallied with the great design
of the Revolution; that the Jews of Charlestown, New York, New-Port
and other posts, occupied by the British troops, have distinguishedly
suffered for their attachment to the Revolution principles; and their
brethren at St. Eustatius, for the same cause, experienced the most
severe resentments of the British commanders. The Jews of Pennsylvania
in proportion to the number of their members, can count with any
religious society whatsoever, the Whigs among either of them; they
have served some of them in the Continental army; some went out in the
militia to fight the common enemy; all of them have cheerfully
contributed to the support of the militia, and of the government of
this State; they have no inconsiderable property in lands and
tenements, but particularly in the way of trade, some more, some less,
for which they pay taxes; they have, upon every plan formed for public
utility, been forward to contribute as much as their circumstances
would admit of; and as a nation or a religious society, they stand
unimpeached of any matter whatsoever, against the safety and happiness
of the people.
And your memorialists humbly pray, that if your honours, from any
consideration than the subject of this address, should think proper to
call a convention for revising the constitution, you would be pleased
to recommend this to the notice of that convention.
Source:
Freeman's Journal (Philadelphia), January 21, 1784.
On Aug 15, 2:53 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am truly perplexed that so many people are against a mosque being built
> at Ground Zero. I think it should be the goal of every American to be
> tolerant. Thus the Mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote
> tolerance.
>
> That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the
> mosque, thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque. We could call
> one of the clubs, "The Turban Cowboy", which would be gay, and the other a
> topless bar called "You Mecca Me Hot."
>
> Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent
> to that an open-pit barbecue pork restaurant, called “ Iraq o' Ribs."
>
> Across the street there could be a lingerie store called "Victoria Keeps
> Nothing Secret," with sexy mannequins with short burkas in the window
> modeling the goods.
>
> Next door to the lingerie shop, a liquor store called "Morehammered."
>
> All of this would encourage the Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they
> demand of us, so the mosque problem would be solved.
>
> If you agree with promoting tolerance, and you think this is a good plan,
> please pass it on.... For the sake of tolerance.
>
> ATT00001.jpg
> 29KViewDownload
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