"Declaration of Conscience"

The "Declaration of Conscience" was a speech given by U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith in 1950, during the hearings on Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist investigations. In it, she publicly opposed the unfair tactics and fear-mongering used by McCarthy and his supporters, advocating for honesty, integrity, and the importance of individual rights. Essentially, she stood against the abuse of power and called for lawmakers to uphold principles of justice and truth, emphasizing that patriotism should involve protecting civil liberties rather than silencing dissent or spreading false accusations.