roots of anti catholicism go back to late antique europe

→ challengers of the catholic church grew in popularity few centuries after constantine

• romans believed heretics worked with satan, and did anything they could to destroy anyone who came wanted to destroy the catholic church
  • protestants and catholics fought bloody wars over their differences
  • catholics to the english were seen as power hungry & morally depraved

In newly settled North America however, where a different set of religious standards folllowed colonization, the Catholics were heavily persecuted and even legally challenged

• protestants targeted catholic communities, and set fire to churches on multiple occassions. some blamed the protestants, some the catholics, and others the law.

• Ku Klux Klan was largest and most organized anti catholic group

  (protected white protestant traditions against others- modernity brought crisis of faith. considered catholics "second class citizens"

rome did help american catholics by promoting anti protestantism in europe,

as the catholic population increased, so did the violence

orange riots in nyc caused dozens of deaths at the hands of state militia, civilians and police

• the irony of "plea for the west" criticized the catholic church for "believing that their church is the only church of christ" yet claimed heresy to the catholics with practices punishable by death stood out to me!

the protestants process of thought interests me as I read about political backlash on Kennedy. The protestants feared the connection of church and state, proclaimed a catholic president would ruin democracy, yet protestants were the group that formed the kkk in the us

→ sounds as though the protestants were fearful of losing the white majority of their religioin and its influence on the people of america.