The Catholic voter in American politics : the passing of the democratic monolith / William B. Prendergast.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Prendergast, William B.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ).

Catholics--Political activity--United States--History.

Catholics.

Catholics--Political activity.

Voting.

History.

United States.

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )--History.

Elections--United States--History.

Elections.

Voting--United States--History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 260 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Georgetown University Press, [1999]

Summary:

Once a keystone of the Democratic Party, American Catholics are today helping to put Republicans in office. This book traces changes in party allegiance and voting behavior of Catholics in national elections over the course of 150 years and explains why much of the voting bloc that supported John F. Kennedy has deserted the Democratic coalition.

William B. Prendergast analyzes the relationship between Catholics and the GOP from the 1840s to 1990s. He documents a developing attachment of Catholics to Republican candidates beginning early in this century and shows that, before Kennedy, Catholics helped elect Eisenhower, returned to the polls in support of Nixon and Reagan, and voted for a Republican Congress in 1994.

To account for this shifting allegiance, Prendergast analyzes transformations in the Catholic population, the parties, and the political environment. He attributes these changes to the Americanization of immigrants, the socioeconomic and educational advancement of Catholics, and the emergence of new issues. He also cites the growth of

Secumenicism, the influence of Vatican II, the abatement of Catholic-Protestant hostility, and the decline of anti-Catholicism in the Republican party.

Clearly demonstrating a Catholic move toward political independence, Prendergast's work reveals both the realignment of voters and the influence of religious beliefs in the political arena. Provocative and informative, it confirms the opinion of pollsters that no candidate can take the vote of the largest and most diverse religious group in the nation for granted.

Contents:

1 American Catholics: A Historical Profile 1

The Growth of the Catholic Population 1

The Immigrant Church 3

The Ethnic Diversity of the Catholic People 5

Geographic Distribution of the Catholic People 7

The Socioeconomics Status of the Catholic People 9

Income Levels in the Catholic Community 11

Making Who's Who 12

Changing Intergenerational Occupational Status 13

Rising Educational Levels 14

Catholics and Labor Unions 14

Black Catholics 15

Catholics and Anti-Catholicism 15

Catholic Institutions 18

Vatican II and the End of Catholic Separatism 19

A Declining Church? 20

Political Activism of Catholics 21

Catholics and Political Parties 23

The Clergy and Politics 25

The Influence of Religious Belief on Voting Behavior 27

The Catholic Conservatives 28

2 Immigrant Catholics and Elections of 1844-1860 33

Major Currents of the Mid-Nineteenth Century 33

Catholics at Mid-Century 35

The Campaign of 1844 37

The Campaign of 1852 41

The Formation of a National Republican Party 46

Political Events of 1856 48

Republican Victory in 1860 61

The Civil War: A Changing Catholic Role in Society 67

3 Republicans and the Catholic Electorate 1880-1908: From Hostility to Cautious Rapprochement 69

Social and Political Change 69

Catholicism at the Turn of the Century 71

Republican Campaigns 1868-1880 73

The 1884 Campaign: Republicans Jettison Anti-Catholicism 75

The 1888 Campaign 77

The 1892 Campaign 79

The Realigning Presidential Election of 1896 80

The Elections of 1904 and 1908 87

Effects of Realignment of the Electorate on Catholics 91

4 The 1928 Election and the Legacy of Al Smith 93

The Roaring Twenties 93

Catholics in the Twenties 94

The Democratic Vote in 1928 96

Democratic Losses 102

The Issues of 1928 103

The Republican Party and the Religious Issue 107

Enduring Effects of the 1928 Election 110

The New Deal Years 112

t Catholics After World War II: They Liked Ike 116

American Catholics in the Wake of the War 116

The Election of 1948 118

The Eisenhower Victory of 1952 120

The 1956 Election 129

Republican Defeat in 1958 and the Response 131

The Republican Party Entering the Sixties 132

6 Kennedy and the Return of the Prodigals 135

Religion in Kennedy Campaign Strategy in 1960 135

The Nation as the Sixties Began 137

The Catholic Population in 1960 138

The Religious Issue in the 1960 Campaign 139

The Republican Approach 140

Voting Behavior in 1960: The Religious Gap 142

Differences Between Elections of 1928 and 1960 145

Lingering Effects of the 1960 Election 147

7 Catholics in the Turbulent Sixties and Seventies 149

The Catholic Church under Stress 150

After JFK: Elections of the Sixties 152

Catholics and "The Emergies Republican Majority" 155

The Republican Effort to Woo Catholics 156

The 1972 Election 157

The 1976 Election 169

The Political Homogenization of American Catholics 1980-1998 176

Catholics in the 1980s 178

The 1980 Election 181

The Election of 1984 187

The Election of 1988 193

The Election of 1992 198

The Republican Victory of 1994 201

The Campaign of 1996 205

The Election of 1998: A Stand-Off 216

Political Parties at the End of the Century 218

9 The Catholic Voter: Summarizing Conclusions 219

How the Catholic People Changed 222

How the Parties Changed 223

How the Political Environment Changed 224

The Catholic Voter in the Future 224.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-246) and index.

ISBN:

0878407243

OCLC:

40073896