Roman Catholics and American Politics, 1960–2004
Roman Catholics and American Politics, 1960–2004
This chapter explores one of the groups that were once marginal in American political life, but which over the course of the twentieth century have become central. It details some of the extraordinary range of critical political issues and some of the remarkable figures in the divergent cast of characters found in recent Catholic history. In 1960, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the Democratic candidate, was elected the first Roman Catholic president of the United States. Forty-four years later, John Forbes Kerry, the Democratic candidate and the next Catholic nominated by either major party for the presidency, went down in defeat. In both cases, Catholicism emerged as an obstacle to election. However, the differences were dramatic—and they suggested some of the unforeseen twists and turns that have defined the relationship between Catholicism and American politics.
Keywords: Catholic history, American culture, marginal groups, John Kennedy, John Kerry, election
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
