Rights of the Minority
By W. F. Martin
By W. F. Martin, Religious Liberty Secretary of the North Pacific "CONGRESS shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This first amendment to the United States Constitution has long been regarded by American citizens as the bulwark of religious freedom in the nation. When the great statesmen of the Philadelphia convention wrote the Constitution, they studiously avoided putting anything therein that could be construed as governing the religious convictions of any body of people, however small. When the conventions were called in the different States to consider the advisability of accepting or rejecting the Constitution, it was thought that religious liberty was not sufficiently safeguarded. Accordingly ten amendments were prepared, to be presented at the first assembling of Congress. They were given into the hands of James Madison, a rising young statesman from Virginia. April 1, 1789, Mr. Madison presented these amendments to the House of Representatives. No one of the amendments was considered of equal importance with the first.8Mr. Carroll said, "As the rights of conscience are, in their nature, of peculiar delicacy, and will little bear the gentlest touch of governmental hand, he was in favor of adopting the amendment." In his great work, giving the history of the Constitution, George T. Curtiss says: "Especial emphasis was given to the first amendment. 'The minority,' they said, 'must be protected, the majority will take care of itself.'" To protect the minority especially, then, the first amendment was adopted. Congress recognized the eternal principle that the rights of the minority, however small, are just as sacred as those of the majority. It is a sad day to any nation or people when they forget or override this great fact. Religious dominance through either the legislature or a popular vote is wrong. True religious liberty is freedom not only for ourselves, but for our fellow men, not merely recognizing the authority of the majority, but the rights of the minority. "Is true freedom but to break
Fetters for our own dear sake,
And with leathern hearts forget
That we owe mankind a debt?
No! True freedom is to share
All the chains our brothers wear,
And with heart and hand, to be
Earnest to make others free."