Anti-Catholic Literature distributed by The Protestant Fraternal League

Courtesy of ACUA

Alfred E. Smith, a Catholic Democratic Governor from New York, ran for President in the 1928 election. Here is an example of anti-Catholic literature circulated by The Protestant Fraternal League during Alfred Smith's campaign.

As you read the document, address the following questions:

• List some of the claims about Catholics that the Protestant Fraternal Protective League discuss.
• Discuss how Catholic Americans were portrayed by The Protestant Fraternal League, and explain some of the challenges that Catholic people might have in American society based on this portrayal.
• Why might this document discuss a 'foreign' invasion of American rights and liberties when discussing a New York Governor? What does this say about outside views on the 'Immigrant Church' of the late 19th and early 20th centuries?