of race, color, religion or national origin."
I am sure that most of us are familiar with
the commentary which a.ccompanied the draft language in
that the commission members felt that this was such a ser-
ious problem, both within the state and nationally, that
there ought to be a commitment by the state to the
prohibition of discrimination on account of race, color,
religion and national origin in the Constitution.
Working here in the Constitutional Convention,
we are not operating in a social vacuum. We believe that
the declaration of rights for this state must be
written in recognition of the social struggles of this
period in our history.
To set principles for the guidance of the
government in its protection of the peoples ' rights to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we believe
that in addition to the 14th Amendment language, this
state Constitution should contain an express declaration of
commitment by the state of Maryland prohibiting discrimina-
tion on account of race, religion, and national origin.
In 1947, President Truman's Civil Rights