Immigration and AntiCatholicism 1800 1920 Immigration Statistics on

Immigration and Anti-Catholicism 1800 - 1920

Immigration

Statistics on Catholics in U. S. : n n n By 1800 - 40, 000 By 1820 - 195, 000 By 1850 - 1½ million By 1860 - 3 million By 1820 - 18 million The increase is almost entirely due to immigration

French n n n 1790 – 1800 Caused by French Revolution Influences: Highly authoritarian n Love of ritual n Devotion to Blessed Virgin n n Early 19 th century, majority of bishops were French immigrants

Bishop Du. Bourg of St. Louis Bishop Machebeuf of Denver Bishop Flaget of Bardstown Bishop Lamy of Santa Fe

German n n 1820 – 1920 Caused by search for economic opportunity and, after 1870, persecution of Catholics in Germany Mostly farmers and tradesmen Settled in “German Triangle” between Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee

n Influences: Involved in their local parishes n Catholic schools n The first Catholics to settle in Ohio were German immigrants who settled near Somerset

Irish n n 1820 – 1900 Came fleeing persecution in Ireland, famine, and looking for economic opportunity Settled in large cities of East Coast and Great Lakes Mostly under 25, illiterate, unmarried

n Influences: Importance of education n Stress religious vocations in their children n Rely on clergy – the priest is the most important person in the parish n By 1900: 50% of all Catholics are Irish n 65% of clergy are Irish n 70% of bishops are Irish n

Hispanics n n n U. S. conquered 1/3 of Mexico in 1848 – California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado 80, 000 Hispanic Catholics became part of the U. S. Immigration has increased the number – Hispanics are nearly 25% of American Catholics

Influences: n Popular devotions n Importance of homebased religious traditions n Our Lady of Guadalupe – patroness of the Americas

Anti-Catholicism

Historic Roots of Anti-Catholicism n n n English attitudes towards Catholics Feeling that Catholics are not loyal to the government because of their allegiance to the pope Protestant beliefs that Catholicism is not a Biblical religion because of its reliance on papal teachings, its veneration of Mary and saints, and rituals

Nativism (Part 1) n n 1820 – 1846 Caused by – Increased immigration n The rise of Protestant Revivalism n An economic downturn and the fact that immigrants were willing to work for lower wages n Question of teaching religion in public schools n

n n n 1830, magazine “The Protestant” founded to “inculcate Gospel doctrines against Romish corruptions. ” 1834 burning of Ursuline convent and school in Charlestown, Mass. 1836 publication of “The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk” – a supposed memoir of life in a convent in Montreal

Frontispiece from an edition of The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk

Philadelphia Riots n n Over the issue of allowing Catholic students to use the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible in religion class in public schools Led to anti-Catholic riots during which several churches were burned and 14 people died

Nativism (Part 2) n n 1854 – 1860 “Know Nothing Party” established Only “native born” Protestant Americans of European ancestry should be allowed to be citizens n Attempted to prevent Catholic citizens from voting n n “Bloody Monday” – Louisville, 1855

n n Became majority in Congress – able to pass anti-Catholic laws (all of which were overturned in the courts) Died out by 1860 because they had no stand on the slavery issue Idealized portrait of a member of the Know Nothing Party

“I have been educated to enmity toward everything that is Catholic; sometimes, in consequence of this, I find it easier to discover Catholic faults than Catholic merits. ” Mark Twain

Nativism (Part 3) n n 1887 – 1898 Main Issue: Catholic Schools Belief that Catholic education is subversive and students are being taught to be loyal to the pope rather than good American citizens n Fear that Catholics will overthrow the government and replace it with a theocracy, getting rid of the Bill of Rights n

n n Immigration is still an issue, especially as more immigrants from Eastern Europe are entering the country Important spokesperson – political cartoonist Thomas Nast

The Ku Klux Klan n n 1920 s See themselves as protecting America for white, Protestant Americans against Blacks, Jews, Catholics and Mexicans

Against Al Smith, the first Catholic candidate for president

n Most organized anti-Catholicism ends with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency

n "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me. “ Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Assc. In 1960

Anti-Catholicism Today n n Little organized anti-Catholicism A few Fundamentalist Christian groups – especially Jack Chick Publications Anti-Catholic attitudes are still fairly common – it has been called “the last acceptable prejudice” recently The clergy pedophilia cover-up brought a lot of those attitudes out