SPEECHES ON THE JEW BILL, IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES OF MARYLAND, H. M. BRACKENRIDGE, COL. W. G. D. WORTHINGTON, AND JOHN S. TYSON, PHILADELPHIA: J. DOBSON, 1829

Article VI of the Constitution of the United States declares that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." Accordingly, religious qualifications for public office have always been prohibited at the national level of the federal system of government. Several individual states however, continued to prevent Jews, Catholics, and Quakers from occupying public offices. Beginning in 1797, Jewish citizens of Maryland, most notably, Solomon Etting, had regularly, but unsuccessfully petitioned their legislature for equal status. The “Jew Bill,” as it came to be known, was defeated in 1802, 1804, and 1819, prompting a huge public outcry in Maryland and across the nation. It was not until 1826, when the Jew Bill was finally confirmed by the legislature, that the Jews were alleviated of all disabilities. The staunchest advocates of the Jewish cause during this struggle were Henry M. Brackenridge, William G. D. Worthington and John S. Tyson. Their speeches are collected in this volume. Worthington, in his speech, read the entire correspondence between the Jews of Newport and President George Washington, as well as excerpts from the letters that were exchanged between the nation’s first Chief Executive and the other Jewish communities. The impact of the Jew Bill extended well beyond Maryland, despite the fact that it was a state issue. It caught the young nation’s attention, and reverberated overseas.