Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Many people today take for granted the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees religious and political freedom. Since its conception, the United States of America has been famed for promising this right and offering equal opportunity to all. However, that freedom that is sometimes forgotten in modern times would have been inconceivable four hundred years ago.

The Protestant Reformation of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century spawned wars and political upheaval. When it became apparent that some Catholics clearly were not reforming, and it was no longer acceptable to be a Catholic in some European countries, many of the "problem citizens" were simply exiled. Historically, a great deal of the Catholic European settlers came to America. While some sought political and

However this new idea of democracy caused some conflicting emotions for some. In the Middle Ages, the idea of an entire country united under one religion and one king was widely accepted. The Church was a hierarchical institution, with the Pope having the final say on everything. In America, the complete separation of church and state was looked upon as a necessary evil for most Catholics. During this time, most Catholics were republican, and extremely conservative, while regarding themselves first as Catholic, and second as American.

In 1634, George Calvert founded the first primarily catholic settlement in America. Along with Pennsylvania, Maryland set out to practice religious tolerance, meaning that every (Christian) religion could be practiced without the fear of government persecution. This was a radical notion then, when the King decided the religion of his subjects.

religious freedom, it was also clear that there was much money to be made in the English colonies. In addition, some settlers carried lofty ideas of converting the "heathen" Native Americans to the true religion.

Polish and French Canadians came too, numbering three million all together, all catholic. Most Polish settled by the Great Lakes to work in mines, while the French Canadians were well off, settling in the Midwest with the Germans.

With the dawning of the Revolutionary war upon the Colonies, many Protestants turned their hatred from Catholics to the King. Catholics also united with Protestants to fight the common enemy. However, they weren't fighting the crown because they didn't want to pay their taxes; they were fighting for religious freedom and an end to persecution.

By 1765, there were about twenty thousand Catholics in Maryland. Due to the strong economic discrimination they had faced, only about one Catholic in twenty was considered wealthy. However, because of their high population in the upper South, many Catholics did have slaves. Deeper in the south, large plantations were o

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Approximate Word count = 1353
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)