Anti-Catholicism in the United States

Anti-Catholicism in the United States concerns the anti-Catholic attitudes which were first brought to the Thirteen Colonies by Protestant European settlers, mostly composed of English Puritans, during the British colonization of North America (16th–17th century).^[1]^[2]^[3] Two types of anti-Catholic rhetoric existed in colonial society and they continued to exist during the following centuries. The first type, derived from the theological heritage of the Protestant Reformation and the European wars of religion (16th–18th century), consisted of the biblical Anti-Christ and the Whore of Babylon variety and it dominated anti-Catholic thought until the late 17th century.^[1] The second type was a variety which was partially derived from xenophobic, ethnocentric, nativist, and racist sentiments and distrust of increasing waves of Catholic immigrants, particularly immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Austria and Mexico. It usually focused on the pope's control of bishops, priests, and deacons.^[4]

Historians have studied the motivations for anti-Catholicism during the history of the United States.^[1] The historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. characterized prejudice against Catholics as "the deepest bias in the history of the American people."^[5] The historian John Higham described anti-Catholicism as "the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history".^[6] The historian Joseph G. Mannard says that wars reduced anti-Catholicism: "enough Catholics supported the War for Independence to erase many old myths about the inherently treasonable nature of Catholicism. ... During the Civil War, the heavy enlistments of Irish and Germans into the Union Army helped to dispel notions of immigrant and Catholic disloyalty."^[7]

During the 1970s and 1980s, the historic tensions between Evangelical Protestants and Catholics in the United States began to fade.^[8] In politics, conservative Catholics and Evangelical Protestants joined forces with the Republican Party and formed the Christian right in order to advocate conservative positions on social and cultural issues, such as opposition to gay marriage and abortion.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] In 2000, almost half of the members of the Republican coalition were Catholic and a large majority of the Republican coalition's non-Catholic members were White Evangelicals.^[8]

^ ^a ^b ^c Scheb II, John M. (2017). "Catholicism and Anti-Catholicism". In Stooksbury, Kara E.; Scheb II, John M.; Stephens, Otis H. Jr. (eds.). Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and Liberties: Revised and Expanded Edition. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. pp. 131–132. ISBN 9781440841101. LCCN 2017027542.
^ Corrigan, John; Neal, Lynn S., eds. (2010). "Religious Intolerance in Colonial America". Religious Intolerance in America: A Documentary History. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 17–48. doi:10.5149/9780807895955_corrigan.5. ISBN 9780807833896. LCCN 2009044820. S2CID 163405846.
^ Corrigan, John (2011). "Part I: Ideologies of Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America – Amalek and the Rhetoric of Extermination". In Beneke, Chris; Grenda, Christopher S. (eds.). The First Prejudice: Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America. Early American Studies. Philadelphia and Oxford: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 53–74. ISBN 9780812223149. JSTOR j.ctt3fhn13.5. LCCN 2010015803.
^ Joseph G. Mannard. "American Anti-Catholicism and its Literature' Ex Libris vol 4, No. 1 (1981). Pp. 1-9 online
^ Bryan F. Le Beau (September 18, 2017). A History of Religion in America: From the First Settlements through the Civil War. Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-136-68891-1. OCLC 1063616991. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Schlesinger did not mean to suggest that it was the most violent of American prejudices, though violent it was at times, but that it struck a chord in the depth of the American consciousness. As Michael Schwartz has put it: 'It is woven into the fabric of our culture. For the most part unconsciously and unintentionally, as a sort of tacit assumption this prejudice has heped to shape our national character, mold our institutions, and influence the course of our history.' , quoting Schwartz, Michael (1984). The Persistent Prejudice: Anti-Catholicism in America. Our Sunday Visitor. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-87973-715-3. OCLC 632659156. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Tracy Ellis, in his popular historical survey American Catholicism, recalls that Harvard historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. once told him, 'I regard prejudice against your Church as the deepest bias in the history of the American people.'
^ Jenkins, Philip (April 1, 2003). The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-19-515480-0.
^ Mannard, 1981.
^ ^a ^b William M. Shea, The Lion and the Lamb: Evangelicals and Catholics in America (Oxford University Press, 2004)
^ Miller, Steven P. (2014). "Left, Right, Born Again". The Age of Evangelicalism: America's Born-Again Years. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–59. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199777952.003.0003. ISBN 9780199777952. LCCN 2013037929. OCLC 881502753.
^ Durham, Martin (2000). "The rise of the right". The Christian Right, the Far Right, and the Boundaries of American Conservatism. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press. pp. 1–23. ISBN 9780719054860.
^ McKeegan, Michele (Fall 1993). "The politics of abortion: A historical perspective". Women's Health Issues. 3 (3). Elsevier on behalf of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health: 127–131. doi:10.1016/S1049-3867(05)80245-2. ISSN 1878-4321. PMID 8274866. S2CID 36048222.
^ Gannon, Thomas M. (July–September 1981). "The New Christian Right in America as a Social and Political Force". Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions. 26 (52–1). Paris: Éditions de l'EHESS: 69–83. doi:10.3406/assr.1981.2226. ISSN 0335-5985. JSTOR 30125411.

[Schebb_2017-1] Scheb II, John M. (2017). "Catholicism and Anti-Catholicism". In Stooksbury, Kara E.; Scheb II, John M.; Stephens, Otis H. Jr. (eds.). Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and Liberties: Revised and Expanded Edition. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. pp. 131–132. ISBN 9781440841101. LCCN 2017027542.

[Corrigan-Neal_2010-2] Corrigan, John; Neal, Lynn S., eds. (2010). "Religious Intolerance in Colonial America". Religious Intolerance in America: A Documentary History. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 17–48. doi:10.5149/9780807895955_corrigan.5. ISBN 9780807833896. LCCN 2009044820. S2CID 163405846.

[Corrigan_2011-3] Corrigan, John (2011). "Part I: Ideologies of Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America – Amalek and the Rhetoric of Extermination". In Beneke, Chris; Grenda, Christopher S. (eds.). The First Prejudice: Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America. Early American Studies. Philadelphia and Oxford: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 53–74. ISBN 9780812223149. JSTOR j.ctt3fhn13.5. LCCN 2010015803.

[4] Joseph G. Mannard. "American Anti-Catholicism and its Literature' Ex Libris vol 4, No. 1 (1981). Pp. 1-9 online

[LeBeau-2017-5] Bryan F. Le Beau (September 18, 2017). A History of Religion in America: From the First Settlements through the Civil War. Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-136-68891-1. OCLC 1063616991. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Schlesinger did not mean to suggest that it was the most violent of American prejudices, though violent it was at times, but that it struck a chord in the depth of the American consciousness. As Michael Schwartz has put it: 'It is woven into the fabric of our culture. For the most part unconsciously and unintentionally, as a sort of tacit assumption this prejudice has heped to shape our national character, mold our institutions, and influence the course of our history.' , quoting Schwartz, Michael (1984). The Persistent Prejudice: Anti-Catholicism in America. Our Sunday Visitor. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-87973-715-3. OCLC 632659156. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Tracy Ellis, in his popular historical survey American Catholicism, recalls that Harvard historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. once told him, 'I regard prejudice against your Church as the deepest bias in the history of the American people.'

[6] Jenkins, Philip (April 1, 2003). The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-19-515480-0.

[7] Mannard, 1981.

[William_M._Shea_2004-8] William M. Shea, The Lion and the Lamb: Evangelicals and Catholics in America (Oxford University Press, 2004)

[Miller_2014-9] Miller, Steven P. (2014). "Left, Right, Born Again". The Age of Evangelicalism: America's Born-Again Years. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–59. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199777952.003.0003. ISBN 9780199777952. LCCN 2013037929. OCLC 881502753.

[Durham_2000-10] Durham, Martin (2000). "The rise of the right". The Christian Right, the Far Right, and the Boundaries of American Conservatism. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press. pp. 1–23. ISBN 9780719054860.

[McKeegan_1993-11] McKeegan, Michele (Fall 1993). "The politics of abortion: A historical perspective". Women's Health Issues. 3 (3). Elsevier on behalf of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health: 127–131. doi:10.1016/S1049-3867(05)80245-2. ISSN 1878-4321. PMID 8274866. S2CID 36048222.

[Gannon_1981-12] Gannon, Thomas M. (July–September 1981). "The New Christian Right in America as a Social and Political Force". Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions. 26 (52–1). Paris: Éditions de l'EHESS: 69–83. doi:10.3406/assr.1981.2226. ISSN 0335-5985. JSTOR 30125411.

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