The Jew Bill (more formally, "An Act to extend to the sect of people professing the Jewish religion, the same rights and privileges enjoyed by Christians") was passed in 1826 by the

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...

to allow

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

to hold public office in the state. The bill was passed on January 5, 1826, "after a long and arduous struggle." The long struggle over the Jew Bill attracted widespread newspaper coverage and occasioned significant debate over the relationship between race and citizenship. The Jew Bill altered the state's constitution to allow Jews to hold public office upon swearing to (or affirming) a belief in "a future state of rewards and punishments"; previously, the state's constitution required public officeholders to make "a declaration of a belief in the Christian religion." The fight to pass it was led in the early 1820s by Jacob I. Cohen Jr. (1789–1869) and Solomon Etting (1764–1847), who subsequently ran successfully for

Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday ev ...

and became the first Jews to hold elected office in Maryland. Maryland was among the last US states to remove a prohibition on Jews holding public office. Arguing on behalf of the change, Thomas Kennedy, a Christian who had been elected to the Maryland legislature, said, "There are few Jews in the United States. In Maryland there are very few. But if there was only one — to that one, we ought to do justice."

References

{{Reflist 1826 in American law 1826 in Maryland 1826 in Judaism January 1826 Jews and Judaism in Maryland Legal history of Maryland Jewish political status Freedom of religion in the United States Jewish-American history Opposition to antisemitism in the United States

See also

References