The History of Catholicism in Early America

Posted on Aug 23, 2024 in History

Ferdinand and Isabella

Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile, beginning the unification of Spain by combining Aragon and Castile. They wanted to remove Muslims from Spain and overthrow the feudal order. They also attempted to centralize the Church of Spain and create a national standing army.

Bulls of 1478 and 1482

• Bull of 1478 – Established by Pope Sixtus IV, this bull gave Ferdinand and Isabella the right to ensure everyone in their territory was Catholic, leading to the Spanish Inquisition.
• Bull of 1482 (Real Patronato) – Granted the monarchs the right to appoint bishops.

Pope Sixtus IV

Gave Ferdinand and Isabella authority over the Church in both new and old territories. This led to the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition and the Reconquista, an event that reclaimed Spain for Catholics.

Pope Alexander VI

• Granted Spain control over trade routes to the West and Portugal control over routes to the East through the Inter Caetera.
• Issued the Inter Caetera II, drawing a Line of Demarcation to divide the New World between Spain and Portugal, giving Portugal control over some islands.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Modified the Line of Demarcation established in the Inter Caetera II, granting Portugal a portion of South America.

Christopher Columbus and Early Colonization

Christopher Columbus

• Made his first voyage in 1492.
• Believed in three ages: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He thought he was in the Age of the Spirit and needed to bring peace.
• Established the Diocese of San Juan in Puerto Rico, the first place with a bishop in the New World.

Bartolome de las Casas

• Born in Spain in 1484.
• Invested in the second voyage to the New World (Hispaniola).
• Initially had natives work for him, but later became a priest and condemned the practice.
• Became a bishop and traveled to Mexico, advocating against the enslavement of natives.
• Wrote History of the Indies, which criticized the treatment of Native Americans.

Encomienda System

A system used to describe how Spanish colonists interacted with indigenous people in Hispaniola. While the Queen forbade enslavement, colonists were allowed to”civiliz” natives, who would then work for them in exchange for religious instruction.

Sublimis Deus (1537)

Papal bull issued by Pope Paul III that declared Native Americans had rights and that enslaving them was wrong. However, it did not lead to significant change.

Catholic Missions in Florida

Franciscans

• Order of Friars Minor.
• Brought French Catholicism to America.
• Organized in response to the Protestant Reformation.

Dominicans

Order of Preachers.

Jesuits

• Society of Jesus.
• More active in South American colonies (e.g., Colombia).

St. Augustine, Florida (1565)

The first established colony in America. Franciscans established missions here to convert Native Americans.

Francisco Pareja

• Worked to convert the Timucua people.
• Believed missionaries should learn about native cultures.
• Created a dictionary and grammar book of the Timucuan language.

Timucuan Indians

• Practiced polygamy.
• Experienced abuse at the hands of the Spanish.

Catechism

The way faith is taught to people.

Syncretism

The merging of one or more religious practices.

Santa Fe

• The first permanent mission established to evangelize Native Americans.
• Experienced a significant amount of intermarriage between Spanish colonists and Native Americans.

La Raza

A term used to describe the people who emerged from the blending of Spanish and Native American cultures.

Pueblo Indians

Native Americans who engaged in Catholicism.

French Catholicism in North America

Quebec

• Gave France control over the Saint Lawrence waterway, which was essential for trade.
• The first Catholic schools were established here by French women for women.

Samuel de Champlain

• Founded Quebec in 1608.
• Tried to evangelize Native Americans.
• Preferred working with the Jesuits over the Recollects.

Algonquins

First Nation inhabitants of North America.

Hurons

• Native Americans the Recollects were working with.
• Decimated by war with the Iroquois.
• The Jesuits attempted to convert them after the war.

Iroquois

• Waged war against the Hurons.
• Disapproved of the Jesuits’ presence among the Hurons.
• Wiped out the Jesuits during the war.
• The Jesuits attempted to convert them after the war.

Jean de Brebeuf

• Led the Jesuits to North America.
• Recognized the failures of the Recollects.
• Believed in finding similarities between Huron and Jesuit cultures and living among the Huron people.

Jesuit Relations

Letters written by Jesuits in North America to Jesuits in Spain. They documented their experiences and beliefs, often fearing for their lives.

Isaac Jogues

• Captured and tortured by the Iroquois.
• Escaped and returned to France.
• Later returned to North America and was beaten to death by the Iroquois.

Kateri Tekakwitha

• The first Iroquois saint.
• One of the few conversions among the Iroquois people.

Jacques Marquette

• A Jesuit explorer and mapmaker.
• Explored the Great Lakes region.

Anti-Catholicism in England and its Colonies

Gunpowder Plot (1605)

A plot by English Catholics to blow up Parliament. Guy Fawkes was the most famous conspirator. The plot led to increased scrutiny of Catholics in England.

Penal Laws

• Laws enacted in England to limit Catholic worship and civil rights.
• Extended after the Gunpowder Plot to further restrict the rights of Catholics.
• Limited the rights of Catholics in English colonies.

George Calvert, First Lord Baltimore

• An English government official who converted to Catholicism.
• Expelled from Parliament but remained a close advisor to the King.
• Interested in colonization in America and requested a colony in Virginia, but was denied.
• Granted a proprietary grant for Maryland but died before he could establish the colony.

Cecil Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore

• Son of George Calvert.
• Received the proprietary grant for Maryland.
• Understood that Catholics would be in charge of Maryland but wanted to avoid outward displays of Catholicism.

Proprietary Grant

The right to act as a monarch in a specific territory. Cecil Calvert received a proprietary grant for Maryland.

The Ark and the Dove

Ships that carried Protestant and Catholic colonists to Maryland. The dove was seen as a sign that God approved of the colony.

Oath of Supremacy

An oath acknowledging the English monarch as the head of the Church. Catholics could not take this oath, so they often found ways to avoid it.

Gentleman Adventurers

Catholics who traveled to Maryland seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Andrew White

• A Jesuit priest who wrote a detailed account of the journey on the Ark and the Dove.
• Found refuge in Belgium after the Protestant takeover of Maryland.

Leonard Calvert

• Sent to Maryland to oversee the colony.
• Established St. Mary’s City upon arrival.
• Died before he could fully establish the colony.

Ordinance of 1639

Granted all Maryland colonists the rights outlined in the Magna Carta, including religious liberty for both Catholics and Protestants.

Puritans

• Opposed both the Church of England and Catholicism.
• Unhappy with the Catholic presence in Maryland.
• Successfully overthrew the Calvert government and established Annapolis as the capital.
• Sent Jesuits back to England and imprisoned them.

Act Concerning Religion (1649)

• A religious liberty law that restricted religious persecution.
• Required all colonists to believe in the Trinity and Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Act to Prevent the Growth of Popery (1704)

Repealed the Act Concerning Religion and restricted the rights of Catholics in Maryland.

Catholicism in the Early United States

Pope Day

A day of celebration for Catholics that was met with hostility by some Protestants. George Washington put an end to the practice to avoid alienating Catholic citizens.

Voluntaryism

The belief that individuals should voluntarily support their chosen church.

Charles Carroll

• The only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.
• A leader of disenfranchised Catholics.
• Served as a messenger between American Catholics and Canada.

John Carroll

• The first bishop of the United States.
• Wrote a series of letters under the pen name”First Citize” advocating for religious and civil rights.
• Defended Catholicism against anti-Catholic sentiment.
• Gained the support of the Founding Fathers during the American Revolution.

Congregation of Propaganda Fide

A Vatican department responsible for missionary work. John Carroll opposed making the United States a mission territory, fearing foreign intervention.

Georgetown University

• Founded as a Jesuit school open to boys of all faiths.
• Intended to inspire Catholic boys to join the priesthood.

Sulpicians

A French religious order invited to Maryland to establish St. Mary’s Seminary to train priests in the United States.

Bishop Cheverus

• An early French bishop in the United States who was well-liked.
• Later French bishops were not as well-received.

Potato Famine (1845-1852)

• Led to the mass emigration of Irish people to the United States, many of whom were Catholic.
• The last wave of immigrants was predominantly Protestant.
• Many Irish immigrants were skilled laborers, but some arrived impoverished and without skills.
• They often settled in port cities due to their arrival by ship.

Brogue

A distinct Irish accent that was prevalent among Irish immigrants.

Baroque

A German aesthetic style that influenced Catholic art and architecture.

Anti-Catholicism in the 19th Century

Nativism

A movement that favored native-born Americans over immigrants. Nativists often viewed Catholic immigrants as a threat to American culture and values.

Samuel F.B. Morse

• Inventor of Morse code.
• A prominent anti-Catholic who published articles in the New York Observer.
• Compiled his articles into a book titled Foreign Conspiracy Against the Liberties of the United States, which claimed that Catholic immigration was part of a conspiracy to undermine the country.

St. Leopold Society

• A Jesuit-run welfare society for Austrian immigrants.
• Fueled anti-Catholic fears that Jesuits were attempting to convert Americans and control their minds.

Mount St. Benedict

A convent that became the subject of anti-Catholic propaganda, most notably the book Six Months in a Convent by Rebecca Reed.

Lyman Beecher

• A prominent anti-Catholic reverend and the father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
• His anti-Catholic sermons contributed to tensions between Protestants and Catholics.

Six Months in a Convent by Rebecca Reed

– claims sisters get pregnant with priests and thrown babies in baseent

bishop francis p kendrick of philadelphia – asks for catholic bible in school too, he gets run out of town

archbishop john hughes of NY – says if catholics are threatened they will fight back, arms them. nobody in NY harmed

know nothing party – one of nativist political parties, it is anticatholics, previously american party.