Catholisism in US History

Catholicism in US History
Name:
Institution
How Catholicism contributed to American Society and Culture
Following the formation of the National Catholic Welfare council in 1919, in the following year the organization established a bureau tasked with assisting immigrants and foreigners in settling down in the USA. There was even a port program that received immigrants arriving on ships and would later on loan them funds to assist in settling. These immigrants on later years influenced the American values in its way of life that saw certain states establish laws to curtail this effect.
How Catholicism Changed
The background of Catholicism was grounded on a Christian role to the society. However, with the changing events between 1920 and 1960, such as the world war, Catholicism started penetrating into the political divide. They assumed the role of social activism and were at the forefront of demanding more in terms of political responsibilities from the elected leaders.
Why the Catholicism (1920-1960) was considered Ironic
In the 1960s J.F Kennedy, a catholic, vied for president in the USA as a democrat. This association hurt his campaign since many Protestants feared that if elected, he would take orders from the Vatican. In his speech, he would recant the accusation that made things worse. Protestants never changed their stand and Catholics saw this as submission to pressure. However, he gained support from republican Catholics who sympathized with him and consequently he won. The irony of things was that 32 years earlier, Al Smith never clinched the presidency because he was catholic and the same had made Kennedy president.
Three Aspects of Catholicism
The most important aspects of Catholicism during that period included the practice of charity such as th...