Catholicism and Judaism America is a country of diversity and freedom. It is commonly referred to a land of immigrants. This is a proud facet of American history; however, what are not proudly discussed are the difficulties faced by immigrants. Religion and ethnicity served as the basis for discrimination, as the Irish Catholics and Jewish population found out. These two groups in particular share similar experiences, both discriminated against, both groups wanted to assimilate in their new country, but differ on their approach to these challenges and the severity of the prejudices these groups faced.

Catholicism in the United States has a long history. Catholics were part of the original thirteen colonies, with a based in Maryland, where they could practice with no repercussions (Lippy, p.128). During this era, the majority of Catholics were English; there would be other prominent ethnic Catholic groups such as German and French Catholics. The dominance of Catholicism as the largest single...

Protestants already distrusted Catholics, "because of the mistaken idea that Catholics could never be good citizens or patriots since they were loyal to the pope" (p.128) among other reasons that stem from the religious conflicts in 16th century England. The Catholic religion saw their influence expanding with the increasing number of immigrants, even spreading to the west in the 1840s. However, the surge in religious devotion is confused with an attempt by Irish immigrants to adapt to their new surroundings. The Irish, especially Irish domestic workers, saw their prosperous Protestant employers involved in organized religion (p.131), therefore believing that a living a religious life was a way of displaying their new American identity. Immersing themselves in Catholicism served two purposes, retaining…