Politics in a Small Town
Political Diversity--A Starting Point
In 1950, Senator Margaret Chase Smith stood in the well of the Senate and stated the following rights of individuals, in relationship to their government, as the basis for Americanism in her Declaration of Conscience:
The right to criticize;
The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
The right to protest;
The right of independent thought;
Her speech was made at the start of the Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “red scare” inquiries. Margaret Chase Smith was the ONLY woman senator at the time, and one of very few senators to stand up to Joseph McCarthy. Why so few? They were afraid. Margaret Chase Smith's declaration was not enough. What followed were four years of accusations, trashed reputations, derailed careers, and shortened lives; resulting in many victims of smears, inuendo, and inappropriate, or irrelevant accusations.
This four year era did end, with Joseph McCarthy discredited and disgraced. Margaret Chase Smith continued to serve in the Senate for four terms, retiring in 1973.
We recall this incident to remind us all:
Our personal political choices are unassailable. No one has a right to threaten or expose another to harrassment or potential danger because of their political differences. Behaviors like this do have consequences.