How Did The Roman Catholic Church Influence Early America

The historical period in which the Roman Catholic Church was established in the United States is approximated to be in the 16th Century. The first group to bring Catholicism to the thirteen English colonies were the Spaniards, followed by the French. After the region was colonized by England, the British missionaries brought their influence and affirmed Catholicism in the thirteen British colonies. Roman Catholicism was established during the colonial period and the majority of the members were immigrants from Europe and Italy to settle in America. The missionaries targeted the vast populations in the thirteen English colonies that later merged to form the present United States of America. The congregation were composed of people who worked in the factories and farms. Church service was presided over by priests who were trained in special schools called seminaries. The seminarians consisted of men who were taught how to live a celibate life and serve the Roman Catholic Church for the glory of God. Young women were trained as nuns, and they too lived a celibate life serving in the church. Some …show more content…
The main reason was that the Church and the State operated as one entity. Most of the government officials consisted of members of the Roman Catholic Church. The dominance of Roman Catholicism was a great threat to the political leaders since they could not make political actions that would go against the Catholic Church. The manner in which activities and government tasks were carried out was largely influenced by the fact that the Church had great influence on State matters. Political leaders had to consult with Church leaders before taking actions that might affect the activities of the Roman Catholic Church. It was a great stumbling block to the political system, since political leaders who wanted to run things differently could not manage without involving the Church