Michael Brooks
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States has deep roots in the country's colonial history. Since the arrival of European settlers, religion has been used as a tool to discriminate against and marginalize those deemed heretics or unbelievers, including native populations. This resulted in the persecution of Catholics, who were often banned from holding public office, discriminated against in matters of property and voting, and subjected to violent attacks and restrictive laws. While some figures like George Washington promoted religious tolerance, anti-Catholic sentiments persisted and were fueled by waves of Catholic immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading to the formation of groups like the nativist American Party. Despite progress and the election of John F. Kennedy as the first Catholic president, anti-Catholic discrimination continues to surface in the media, popular culture, and hate crimes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | Discrimination against Catholics in America dates back to the colonial period and continues into the present day. |
| Nature of Discrimination | Discrimination against Catholics in America has included violence, vandalism, arson, exclusion from political power, restrictions on civil rights, and negative media representation. |
| Perpetrators | Anti-Catholic sentiment in America has been perpetuated by various groups, including Protestant settlers, the Anglo-Saxon Federation of America, the Ku Klux Klan, and nativist political parties. |
| Factors Influencing Discrimination | Factors that influenced anti-Catholic sentiment included religious conflicts in Europe, xenophobia, nativism, and fears of increasing waves of Catholic immigrants. |
| Efforts to Address Discrimination | Efforts to address anti-Catholic discrimination include George Washington's promotion of religious tolerance, Thomas Jefferson's support for legal equality for citizens of all religions, and John F. Kennedy's election as the first Catholic U.S. president. |
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What You'll Learn
Anti-Catholic rhetoric in the 16th-18th centuries
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States dates back to the colonial history of the country. Protestant settlers from Europe brought anti-Catholic attitudes to the Thirteen Colonies of British North America during the British colonization of the Americas. Two types of anti-Catholic rhetoric existed in colonial society and persisted in the following centuries.
The first type of anti-Catholic rhetoric was derived from the theological heritage of the Protestant Reformation and the European wars of religion (16th–18th century). It consisted of the biblical Anti-Christ and the Whore of Babylon variety and dominated anti-Catholic thought until the late 17th century. This type of rhetoric was shaped by the perception of the Catholic Church as having errors and excesses, leading to strong positions against the Roman clerical hierarchy and the Papacy. English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish identities were also closely linked to opposition to Catholicism. The Puritan fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony exemplified this intolerance, banning Catholics and non-Puritans from the colonies and enforcing religious conformity within their community.
The second type of anti-Catholic rhetoric was rooted in xenophobic, ethnocentric, nativist, and racist sentiments. It was fueled by distrust and fear of increasing waves of Catholic immigrants, particularly from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Austria, and Mexico. This rhetoric contributed to discriminatory practices and statutes that disadvantaged Catholics in matters of property and voting rights during the colonial era.
In the 17th century, English colonists, including Puritans and Congregationalists, settled in North America, having themselves fled religious persecution by the Church of England. The Massachusetts colony, established earlier by these Puritan fathers, allowed only Christians to hold public office, and Catholics could do so only after renouncing papal authority.
In the 18th century, the American Revolution brought about a shift towards religious toleration in some colonies. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland passed acts of religious toleration in 1776, and George Washington, as commander of the army and president, actively promoted tolerance for all religious denominations. By the 1780s, Catholics were legally tolerated in all of the New England states, marking a significant departure from the previous hostility and traditions like Pope Night. However, anti-Catholic sentiment persisted among Loyalists, some of whom relocated to Canada after the war.
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Discrimination in the Thirteen Colonies
Discrimination was prevalent in the Thirteen Colonies, which were the English and later British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America that broke away from the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) to form the United States of America. The Thirteen Colonies were dominated by Protestant English speakers, and anti-Catholic attitudes were first brought to the colonies by these Protestant settlers from Europe during the British colonisation of the Americas.
The Puritan fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, for example, did not tolerate opposing religious views. From Puritan Boston's earliest days, Catholics ("Papists") were banned from the colonies, along with other non-Puritans. Four Quakers were hanged in Boston between 1659 and 1661 for persistently returning to the city to stand up for their beliefs. Throughout the colonial era, Anglo-American antipathy toward Catholics—especially French and Spanish Catholics—was pronounced and often reflected in the sermons of clerics such as Cotton Mather and in statutes that discriminated against Catholics in matters of property and voting.
The first type of anti-Catholic rhetoric in colonial society was derived from the theological heritage of the Protestant Reformation and the European wars of religion (16th–18th century). It consisted of the biblical Antichrist and the Whore of Babylon variety and dominated anti-Catholic thought until the late 17th century. The second type was derived from xenophobic, ethnocentric, nativist, and racist sentiments and distrust of increasing waves of Catholic immigrants, particularly from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Austria, and Mexico.
In newly independent America, there was a mix of state laws regarding religion. In Massachusetts, only Christians were allowed to hold public office, and Catholics could only do so after renouncing papal authority. In 1777, New York State's constitution banned Catholics from public office until 1806. In Maryland, Catholics had full civil rights, but Jews did not. Delaware required an oath affirming belief in the Trinity. Several states, including Massachusetts and South Carolina, had official, state-supported churches.
In the early years of what became the United States, Christian religious groups played an influential role in each of the British colonies, and most attempted to enforce strict religious observance through colony governments and local town rules. Eight of the thirteen British colonies had official churches, and in those colonies, dissenters who sought to practice or proselytise a different version of Christianity or a non-Christian faith were sometimes persecuted.
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Anti-Catholic laws in the 1800s
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States dates back to the colonial history of the country. Protestant settlers from Europe brought anti-Catholic attitudes to the Thirteen Colonies of British North America during the British colonisation of the Americas. This anti-Catholic bias was exhibited in colonial charters and laws that contained specific proscriptions against Roman Catholics having any political power.
In the 1800s, anti-Catholic literature portrayed Catholicism as a threat to the "cult of domesticity", including family values, gender boundaries, and sexual norms. It singled out the celibacy of priests as a sin and a violation of the law of nature, claiming that celibate priests threatened the sexual purity of American women. This literature strengthened Protestant identity and established standards for sexuality.
During this time, there was a crazy quilt of state laws regarding religion in the newly independent United States. In Massachusetts, only Christians were allowed to hold public office, and Catholics could only do so after renouncing papal authority. In 1777, New York State's constitution banned Catholics from public office until 1806. In Maryland, Catholics had full civil rights, but Jews did not. Delaware required an oath affirming belief in the Trinity, and several states, including Massachusetts and South Carolina, had official, state-supported churches.
In 1821, the Catholic Church was legally recognised in New York State, but anti-Catholic sentiment remained. In the mid-19th century, anti-Catholic riots took place in several cities, including the Philadelphia Bible Riots of 1844 and the St. Louis Riots of 1854. In 1834, a mob in Boston attacked a Catholic convent, and in 1836, a Catholic church in Boston was burned down. These incidents reflect the persistent anti-Catholic sentiments that were present in the United States during the 1800s.
While there were no specific anti-Catholic laws passed in Pennsylvania until the French and Indian War, prejudicial laws did exist before that. For example, Catholics were disarmed, forbidden from serving in the militia, double-taxed, and prohibited from settling in certain vulnerable areas. Similar outbreaks of anti-Catholic persecution occurred during times of war or revolution.
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Anti-Catholic hate crimes in the 2000s
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States has a long history, dating back to the colonial era when Protestant settlers from Europe brought anti-Catholic attitudes to the Thirteen Colonies of British North America. While anti-Catholic hate crimes have declined since the 1960s, particularly after John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic US president, they have not disappeared.
The 2000s
In March 2000, the Catholic League criticized Slate magazine and journalist Jack Shafer for an article that the League believed "took delight in justifying anti-Catholicism".
The 2010s
During the 2010s, anti-Catholic hate crimes continued to occur in the United States, with a variety of incidents being reported:
- In June 2014, a man defaced gravestones in a Catholic cemetery with swastikas and anti-Catholic language, burned American flags, and assaulted a security guard at Providence College in Rhode Island.
- In March 2016, juveniles vandalized St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky, by dispersing fire extinguishers, turning a cross on the altar upside down, pouring holy oil on the floors, and damaging religious artifacts.
- In April 2016, a man broke a window and entered Christ the King Catholic Church in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
- In August 2019, a statue of St. Mary was beheaded and had its hands severed at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Gary, Indiana.
The 2020s
The 2020s have seen a wave of anti-Catholic hate crimes in the United States, with incidents including:
- In March 2020, communion wafers were strewn across the parking lot of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, during Easter Mass.
- In June 2020, a statue of St. Junipero Serra was toppled and vandalized in California.
- In July 2020, Mission San Jose in Fremont, California, was vandalized with red paint and political messages.
- In August 2020, a Catholic pro-life pregnancy center in Chicago, Illinois, was vandalized with red paint and had its doors damaged with cement.
- In August 2025, a mass shooting targeting the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis resulted in the deaths of two Catholic school children and injured 17 others. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an anti-Catholic hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism.
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Anti-Catholic attitudes in politics
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States has a long history, dating back to the arrival of European settlers. This animosity was largely driven by Protestant settlers who held negative views of the Catholic Church, often influenced by the Protestant Reformation and European wars of religion. This resulted in colonial charters and laws that restricted Catholics from holding political power.
During the colonial era, Catholics were banned from public office in some colonies, such as Massachusetts and New York, and faced discrimination in matters of property and voting. The Puritan fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, for example, banished dissidents like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson for their dissenting theological views. Anglo-American antipathy was also directed towards French and Spanish Catholics, as reflected in the sermons of clerics like Cotton Mather.
In the 19th century, anti-Catholic sentiment intensified with the rise of the nativist movement, which blamed Catholic immigrants, particularly those from Ireland, for spreading violence and drunkenness and destroying American culture. This movement found political expression in the Know-Nothing Party of the mid-1850s, which ran on a platform warning against Catholics and immigrants. While the party was short-lived, it reflected the persistent anti-Catholic attitudes in American society.
The election of John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, as president in 1960 did not eliminate concerns about Catholic influence in politics. Kennedy had to address these concerns directly during his campaign, promising to respect the separation of church and state. Despite his victory, worries about Catholic power persisted.
In more recent times, there have been accusations of anti-Catholic attitudes within the Democratic Party, with some on the right claiming that the Democrats exhibit hostility towards the Catholic faith and organised religion in general. However, it is worth noting that anti-Catholic sentiment is not limited to any particular political party, and individuals across the political spectrum have been accused of holding or exploiting such views for political gain.
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Frequently asked questions
Anti-Catholic discrimination in America dates back to the arrival of the first European settlers. The "Puritan fathers" of the Massachusetts Bay Colony banished those with opposing religious views, including Catholics, from the colonies.
Two types of anti-Catholic rhetoric existed in colonial America. The first type, derived from the theological heritage of the Protestant Reformation, consisted of the belief that the Pope was the "anti-Christ" and the "whore of Babylon". The second type was derived from xenophobic, ethnocentric, nativist, and racist sentiments and distrust of increasing waves of Catholic immigrants.
Anti-Catholic discrimination in America has taken many forms throughout history, including social exclusion, civic restrictions, violence, and vandalism. Catholics were banned from holding public office in some states and were subject to discrimination in matters of property and voting.
While there has been some progress in reducing anti-Catholic discrimination in America, it continues to persist. The election of John F. Kennedy as the first Catholic president in 1960 marked a decline in anti-Catholic sentiment. However, anti-Catholic hate crimes and acts of vandalism against Catholic churches and statues still occur.
