Free Lecture! American Catholics during the Mexican War

In the years leading up to the Mexican War, American Catholics found themselves struggling for identity and acceptance in a largely Protestant nation. Concern among the latter group about a rising tide of new Catholic immigrants fueled a nativist movement that sometimes became violent. Join Heritage Hill State Historical Park executive director Michael Telzrow for this lecture which deals primarily with the manner in which the U. S. Catholics viewed American involvement in the war with Mexico. The Mexican War served as an arena in which Catholics addressed matters of religious freedom, loyalty, and manifest destiny. The goal of this presentation is to reveal the cultural and political motivations which induced U.S. Catholics  to support a war waged against a neighboring Catholic republic, and to explain the process by which newly arrived Catholics identified with American nationalism.

This lecture is FREE in conjunction with Brown County History Days, May 13-19, 2024. More info on History Days coming soon!