Introduction to a New America

Before we start: terms Religion vs. denomination Major world religions Civic vs. theological Branches of Christianity  Orthodox  Catholic  Protestant

Western Christianity/ Catholicism Reformed (Calvinist) PresbyterianCongregational Some evangelical LutheranAnabaptist MennoniteAmish Anglican Methodist Holiness/ Pentecostal Baptist

Major immigration laws Naturalization Act of 1790  Only “free white persons” could become citizens  Modified to include those of African descent or birth after the Civil War  Immigration from Europe relatively easy Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)  Repealed 1943 Immigration Act of 1924  quotas for new immigrants set in proportion (2%) to ethnic makeup of 1890 American population  Upshot: restricted southern and eastern European immigration; excluded Asians Hart-Celler Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965  Abolished country-of-origin quotas; favored family reunification  First restrictions imposed on Mexican immigration

Major changes in religious diversity Native Americans: pluralistic Anglo-Americans  Varieties of Protestant Waves of Catholic immigration  Prior to 1845, most Catholics in America were of English descent  1840s: Large wave of Irish immigration begins  1850: 5% of US population is Catholic  : large numbers of Italian and eastern European immigrants  1906: 17% of population is Catholic, the largest single religious group Biggest change: 1965 Immigration Act

Statistics Immigration Quotas Immigration Statistics

For Monday What are some of the basic characteristics of American religion, especially American Christianity? Think about your own experience: how does it support or diverge from the claims of the article: about community, individual belief, etc?