The Declaration of Conscience was a speech made by Senator Margaret Chase Smith on June 1, 1950, the height of the McCarthy Era. In it, she criticised national leadership and called for the country, the United States Senate, and the Republican Party to re-examine the tactics used by the HUAC and (without naming him) Senator Joe McCarthy. She stated the basic principles of "Americanism" were: Margaret Chase Smith (December 14, 1897–May 29, 1995) was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy, was a period of intense anticommunism, also (popularly) known as the (second) Red Scare, which occurred in the United States from 1948 to about 1956 (or later), when the government of the United States was actively engaged in suppression of the Communist Party USA, its... Seal of the Senate The Senate of the United States of America is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... Joseph McCarthy This article is about the American politician. ...

• The right to criticize;
• The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
• The right to protest;
• The right of independent thought.

Smith strongly voiced concern that those who exercised those beliefs at that time risked being labeled communist or fascist by the latter two. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ...

In the Declaration of Conscience Smith said,

The Democratic administration has greatly lost the confidence of the American people by its complacency to the threat of communism and the leak of vital secrets to Russia through key officials of the Democratic administration.

Smith made the declaration shortly after having been removed from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations by the new Chairman, Senator Karl Mundt, in order to make room for the newly elected Senator Richard Nixon of California. Mundt and Nixon had served together on the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Mundt sought to continue the work they had begun together. Smith was upset about being removed, and her criticism was widely regarded among Senators and Senate staffers as criticism for having been removed from the Committee. Significantly, in 1997 the Republican conference appointed Susan Collins of Maine as the first woman to chair the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; Collins holds Smith's Senate seat. The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is currently chaired by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), with Carl Levin (D-MI) as a ranking member. ... Karl Earl Mundt (1900 - 1974) was a U.S. educator and a Republican United States Senator from South Dakota from 1948 to 1973. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... HUAC hearings House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC or HCUA) (1938-1975) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952 in Caribou, Maine) is the junior U.S. Senator from Maine and a Republican. ... Official language(s) None Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 39th 33,414 sq mi  86,542 km² 190 miles  305 km 320 miles  515 km 13. ...

Widely regarded as a turning point in the McCarthy anti-communism campaign, the fact that a woman was the first to speak out in the Senate against McCarthy and his tactics also holds significance for feminist historians. Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

External links

• The complete text of the Declaration at the Margaret Chase Smith library site