Danger on the Doorstep

by Nordstrom, Justin

• ISBN13: 9780268036058
• ISBN10: 0268036055
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-24
• Publisher: Univ of Notre Dame Pr

Summary

From 1910 to the end of World War I, American society witnessed a tremendous outpouring of books, pamphlets, and especially newspapers espousing virulently anti-Catholic themes and calling on readers to recognize the danger of Catholicism to the American republic. By 1915 the most popular anti-Catholic newspaper, The Menace, boasted over 1.6 million weekly readers. Justin Nordstrom's Danger on the Doorstep examines for the first time the rise and abrupt decline of anti-Catholic literature during the Progressive Era, as well as the issues and motivations that informed anti-Catholic writers and their "Romanist" opponents. Nordstrom explores the connection between anti-Catholicism and nationalism from 1910-1919. He argues that the anti-Catholic literature that occupied such a prominent place in the cultural landscape derived its popularity by infusing long-standing anti-Catholic traditions with the emerging themes of progressivism, masculinity, and nationalism. Nordstrom demonstrates that in the pages of anti-Catholic texts, Catholicism emerged as a manifestation of and a scapegoat for the dangers of modernity--including rampant urbanization, immigration, political corruption, and the proliferation of power conglomerates. Samples of Menace cartoons underscore Nordstrom's arguments. This fascinating look at an understudied episode of anti-Catholic radicalism will be of interest to scholars and students of religious history, popular culture, and journalism.

Author Biography

Justin Nordstrom is assistant professor of history at Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton.

Table of Contents

Introduction : anti-Catholicism and theories of nationalism	p. 1
"Utterly incompatible are Romanism and Americanism" : ideological nativism, anti-Catholic tradition, and American patriotism	p. 19
"Help us to turn on more light" : progressivism and modernity in the nativist press	p. 53
"Rome is the jailer of youth" : masculinity, childhood, and the anti-Catholic crusade	p. 107
"The slime of the serpent" : articulating a counterresponse to American nativism	p. 145
World War I and the anti-Catholic hiatus	p. 193
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.