Jewish Emancipation
Jacob Molho
12/9/16
Jewish Emancipation: The Migration of People, Ideas, and Mindsets
Unique for its time, in September of 1480, Spain created special religious tribunals to address cases of “heretical depravity”. These tribunals, collectively referred to as the Spanish Inquisition, sought to eliminate deviation from Catholicism. Jews bore the brunt of these tribunals. They were rarely acquitted of charges levied through the Spanish Inquisition, and relative to other “heretics,” Jews were executed more frequently. In 1492, all Jews were expelled from Spain. In 1750, Frederick the Great issued the Revidierte General-Privilegium und Reglement vor die Judenschaft im Königreiche Preussen, which strictly limited the number of "protected" Jews permitted …show more content…
In August of 1789, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” (henceforth to be referred to as “Declaration”), the manifesto of the French Revolution, was passed by the Constituent Assembly. The “Declaration” was inspired by the Enlightenment ideals of equality, individual rights, free trade, and a contractual understanding of the relationship between the ruler and the governed. Although it did not explicitly advance the idea of equality among religious faiths, the “Declaration” assisted Jews into entering a broader …show more content…
In Prussia and in many other German states, extensive media coverage of the French Revolution affected the attitude of the general public. The French Revolution reinforced the idea of universal human rights to individuals living in German states. As a direct result of the circulation of Enlightenment ideas in Prussia and other German States, Jewish emancipation progressed. Between 1787 and 1810, German states including Bavaria, Salzburg, Bonn, and the Cisrhenane Republic abolished oppressive poll taxes levied against the Jews. By 1813, the poll tax was abolished in every German state. Under Frederick the Great, Prussia abolished Jewish poll taxes in 1787. On March 11, 1812, Prussian Jews were awarded citizenship, subject to civic duties and military
12/9/16
Jewish Emancipation: The Migration of People, Ideas, and Mindsets
Unique for its time, in September of 1480, Spain created special religious tribunals to address cases of “heretical depravity”. These tribunals, collectively referred to as the Spanish Inquisition, sought to eliminate deviation from Catholicism. Jews bore the brunt of these tribunals. They were rarely acquitted of charges levied through the Spanish Inquisition, and relative to other “heretics,” Jews were executed more frequently. In 1492, all Jews were expelled from Spain. In 1750, Frederick the Great issued the Revidierte General-Privilegium und Reglement vor die Judenschaft im Königreiche Preussen, which strictly limited the number of "protected" Jews permitted …show more content…
In August of 1789, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” (henceforth to be referred to as “Declaration”), the manifesto of the French Revolution, was passed by the Constituent Assembly. The “Declaration” was inspired by the Enlightenment ideals of equality, individual rights, free trade, and a contractual understanding of the relationship between the ruler and the governed. Although it did not explicitly advance the idea of equality among religious faiths, the “Declaration” assisted Jews into entering a broader …show more content…
In Prussia and in many other German states, extensive media coverage of the French Revolution affected the attitude of the general public. The French Revolution reinforced the idea of universal human rights to individuals living in German states. As a direct result of the circulation of Enlightenment ideas in Prussia and other German States, Jewish emancipation progressed. Between 1787 and 1810, German states including Bavaria, Salzburg, Bonn, and the Cisrhenane Republic abolished oppressive poll taxes levied against the Jews. By 1813, the poll tax was abolished in every German state. Under Frederick the Great, Prussia abolished Jewish poll taxes in 1787. On March 11, 1812, Prussian Jews were awarded citizenship, subject to civic duties and military