Issues of family structure, gender roles, social status, and national heritage unfolded through the generations after immigration—and how for Catholic immigrants and their children, religion stood at the heart of those issues. (http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org) Ritual and prayer are integral parts of Catholic life, from the sacraments which mark the sacred milestones on life's journey to the smaller rituals of daily devotion. In the case of the Eucharist, these two overlap: the Eucharist is both the sacramental heart of Catholic life and, for many believers, a daily event. The Mass is usually celebrated in a church, but Catholics carry many other ritual actions of devotion and worship into the nooks and crannies of everyday life. (http://www.patheos.com) Throughout history tradition has made wars, especially with the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox. “ Roman Catholics and Orthodox nuke it out, each claiming the other's tradition is wrong, while sola Scriptura advocates point them back to the Bible as the only hope for unity!”(http://www.bible.ca) Both Roman Catholics and Orthodox view the other churches tradition as invalid. We merely highlight the fact that, contrary to their claims, "church tradition" does not bring about uniform doctrine and interpretation of scripture. The first Roman Catholics to enter the American colonies settled in Maryland in 1634. They were under the control of the Vicar Apostolic of London, but the American Revolution made that arrangement untenable. John Carroll, who had been serving as the Superior of Catholic Missions for the United States, wrote to Rome in 1785. Realizing the negative effects of a state-controlled church, Carroll endorsed the separation of church and state. He believed in a more private and personal piety than public, clerically led, devotional services. Rome acceded and Carroll became Bishop of Baltimore in 1791. The founders of the United States, like the early population, were almost entirely of Protestant background. Catholicism met much resistance in the United States until sheer numbers forced its integration into American society. A deep anti-Catholic sentiment, inherited from Great Britain, existed in colonial America. Some colonies had laws restricting or banning Catholicism. The settling of the colony of Maryland by English Catholics was perhaps the only exception. At the time of the Revolution, Catholics made up just over one percent of the American population. While the First Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion, it did not compel Protestant Americans to accept Catholic newcomers. Protestants resented Catholicism on theological grounds, often making fun of and belittling Catholic religious rites and customs. The common Christian link between Protestantism and Catholicism meant little.
As American Catholicism spread during the 19th century, anti-Catholic violence saw churches burned, Catholics massacred, property destroyed, and the growth of anti-foreigner and anti-Catholic organizations like the “Know Nothings.” Beyond violence, Catholics routinely became victims of discrimination in employment and housing.

By the turn of the 20th century, growing numbers, especially in the big cities, gave Catholics political power, and yet the struggle continued. The unsuccessful presidential campaign of Al Smith in 1928, in which Smith’s Catholicism became a divisive political issue, underscored the century of struggle. The Catholicism of candidate John F. Kennedy nearly cost him the 1960 election, but Kennedy did win by an extremely small margin against Richard Nixon. During both elections, opponents of the candidates suggested that a Catholic, if elected president, would “take orders” from the Pope. The success of Kennedy’s presidency and the tragedy of his assassination made Kennedy a mainstream and iconic American figure whose religion became truly incidental. Kennedy’s election showed, perhaps, the last vestiges of endemic anti-Catholicism.

In the 21st century, anti-Catholicism is mainly the purview of a small group of bigots, who also hate everybody else. Young Catholics today are simply not aware of the hardships their ancestors had to face. Religion-based prejudice is hardly gone, however. Islamic Americans today face equivalent misunderstanding and intolerance.(www.lifeintheusa.com) New industrialization offered many opportunities in the United States. Great numbers of people recognized the possibilities and prepared to take advantage of them. From 1830 to 1850 more than one million Catholic immigrants came to the eastern seaboard of the United States settling in the large urban areas where work was abundant and housing available. These Catholic immigrants were embarking on a new life in a strange land controlled by Protestants. This difference in religious belief results in prejudice and discrimination against Catholics who were the minority. This discrimination eventually led to the development of the Catholic school system. All of these events are what we call the Catholic Issue.

Once the new families settled in the United States the prejudice against them presented itself. This prejudice was most evident in families with school aged children. Religion was a focal point of education in this period and the Protestants were in control. The public schools used the King James translation of the Bible which the Catholics strongly objected to. Catholics did not accept the teachings of the Protestant church or schools as they were then constituted. They believed that education of their children would be most prosperous with the use of Catholic type bibles and prayers. The Catholics request for the use of their bible and prayers in the public school was denied. The Catholic children were forced to become more Protestant if they were to be educated.

The Catholics feared a loss of support for their church if Catholic children were to attend public school. The Baltimore Council prohibited Catholics from attending public schools, from using the Protestant Bible, and from singing sectarian hymns. Determined to maintain the unity of the Catholic church, the development of a parochial school system became an absolute necessity. Setting up the schools presented a problem, money.

Governor William H. Seward and Bishop John Hughes of the New York diocese were both active in the controversy of Catholic schools. The Governor was willing to use public funds to aid parochial schools and the Bishop would have accepted this offer. This would not prove to be the case because the offer was rejected by the Common Council which was supported by the Protestant churches. The same struggle was going on in Philadelphia. However this struggle did not end so peacefully. Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick asked if Catholic children might be permitted to read from the Douay Bible instead of the King James Bible. The School Board agreed to this offer but Protestant religious newspapers and speakers were vocal about their disagreement. As a result of the outburst of opposition by Protestants, discrimination against Catholics escalated. Riots, burning of Catholic churches, and several deaths occurred. Another important legal event of this period was Donahoe v. Richards. The Supreme Court of Maine decided that a School Board had the legal and constitutional right to to expel a child from school for refusing to read the bible used by the school. This case also led to a great uproar in the small community where it originated.

There were many incidents of prejudice against Catholics in the United States in the nineteenth century. The denial for the request to use their own bible and prayers in the public schools left no other alternative for the leaders of the Catholic church. They must establish a parochial school system in order to keep unity in the church. This led to many denials for funding for their schools and even escalated to violence in Philadelphia. All of these events made up the Catholic Issue and eventually led to the private Catholic school system as it is today.