Describe the reasons advanced to justify discrimination against Essay

Describe the reasons advanced to justify discrimination against Catholics and free African Americans in the United States until the Civil War. How did Nativists - Essay Example The discrimination against Irish Catholics lessened during and after the Civil War, but the discrimination against free African Americans during and after the Civil War increased. Before, during, and after the American Revolution up until the American Civil War Irish Catholics were discriminated against. The first reason for the discrimination was attitudes carried from Europe. Since the Reformation spread in England, resulting in Henry VII breaking off with the Pope, Protestants clashed with Catholics. Protestants were the majority of settlers and founders in the United States. The government, schools, and social aspect of the United States was built upon Protestant values. This attitude led to the discrimination against Irish Catholics. The second attitude concerned the Irish and English long standing dispute over the English rule in Ireland. These attitudes from the old world carried over into the new world. Religious differences also were used to justify discrimination against Irish Catholics. Protestants were frightened that the Pope would try and conquer or exert control over the newly formed United States if the Irish Catholics settled in the new land. For the Protestants practicing Catholicism meant disloyalty to the United States, due to a Catholic’s allegiance towards the Pope. The United States had just held a successful revolution against a king; they did not want to be subjects of another one. Even though this logic seemed far fetched, many Protestants feared Catholic domination. Finally, other ethnic groups wanting to fit in with the Protestants discriminated against the Irish Catholics in order to be more American. For example, German Protestants would discriminate against Irish Catholics to fit in better with the new Protestant society. It did not matter what ethnic group an individual was from in the United States, but whether or not the group