Catholics and the American Revolutionary War
Canada gains religious freedom. A Catholic named Charles Carroll debated political issues. A few Catholics had prominent roles in the Revolutionary War.
CONTENTS
2. Charles Carroll of Carrollton
1. The Quebec Act
On June 22, 1774, Parliament passed the “Quebec Act.” It guaranteed religious freedom to Catholics in Canada. That was a surprise. The English Parliament allowed for religious freedom in Canada, even though the English Parliament did not allowed it in England.
The Quebec Act was great for Catholics in Canada.
But in the U.S., it was protested publicly. The Continental Congress adapted a resolution calling it dangerous to the Protestant Religion and threatening to liberty and civil rights of all Americans.
Then the U.S. Congress made an appeal to the people of Great Britain, arguing that Parliament had gone beyond its boundaries.
John Adams attended a meeting at a Catholic church. He said it was absolutely terrible.
2. Charles Carroll of Carrollton
In Canada in 1774 there were 65,000 Catholics.
But in the U.S., at the time of the American Revolutionary War, the Catholic population was tiny. Here are the estimates:
- Maryland: 20, 000 Catholics
- Pennsylvania: 3,000
- New York: 1,000
- Elsewhere: a few
There simply weren’t enough Catholics in the U.S. to make much of a difference. However, a few Catholics did get drawn into the political debates. One of those Catholics was Charles Carroll (1737-1832).
Carroll lived in Maryland. He was one of the richest people in the Colonies, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1713, Governor Robert Eden wanted to suspend the assembly. This decision was hotly debated by Daniel Dulany in the Maryland Gazette. Carroll replied, signing his article as the “First Citizen”, and a series of debates ensued in the Gazette.
Dulany discovered that Carroll was Catholic, and attacked that. Carroll replied that Dulany was playing dirty, and that what was at stake was political issues and not the religion of the debaters.
3. The Revolutionary War
In 1775, the Colonies had to decide whether to endue the situation with England or go to war. For that, they needed an ally. Al the possible allies were Catholic countries. So the colonists could no longer afford to be anti-Catholic.
During the Serge of Boston in Fall of 1775, General Washington issued an order banning the celebration of Guy Fawkes Night.
Guy Fawkes Night was an annual commemoration of an event in 1605, when the English government foiled a plot by Catholic to assassinate king James I.
It was a simple gesture by General Washington, but demonstrated that common sense must prevail, and that Protestants couldn’t ridicule Catholics.
At the time in New England, there would have been less than 500 Catholics, and possibly less than 100.
The American troops had tried to capture Montreal and Quebec. This attempt was later headed by Benedict Arnold. The attempt greatly struggled, so Congress sent Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carroll and John Carroll to negotiate with Canada.
They arrived in early spring, and met with Bishop Briand to negotiate. Briand told his priests that if they sided with the Americans, they would be suspended.
Briand told the Catholics in Canada to not be fooled by the Americans. He told them to remember how the Americans reacted to the Quebec Act.
How much did Catholics participate in the Revolutionary War? Bancroft said very little; J.G. Shea said there were no Catholic Torries. That said, the actual Catholic participation was somewhere between those two views.
A few Catholics had prominent roles in the Revolutionary War.
- Stephen Moylan (1737–1811) from Pennsylvania was a Brigadier General. He was the first to use the term “United States of America.”
- Thomas Fitzsimons (1741–1811) from Philadelphia was a Founding Father, politician, and signatory of the Constitution of the United States. He was an early proponent of abolishing the slave trade in the newly formed nation.
- John Barry (1745–1803) was a Commodore, credited by some as The Father of the American Navy.
HISTORY – U.S. CATHOLIC
MAJOR ERAS:
- The Spanish Missions in New Mexico: 1540 to 1616
- The Spanish Missions in Florida: 1549 to 1763
- The English Missions in the Mid-Atlantic region: beginning in the 1570s
- Catholics and the American Revolutionary War: 1775–1783
- Archbishop John Carroll: 1774-1815
- Archbishop Leonard Neale: 1815-1817
- Archbishop Ambrose Maréchal: 1817 -1828
- Archbishop James Whitfield: 1828 to 1834
- Archbishop Samuel Eccleston: 1834-1851
- Archbishop Francis Kenrick: 1851–1863
SEE ALSO: References, Church History
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