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introduction in 1842, the citizens of charleston, South carolina, lamented the passing of a great public figure.across the city,church bells tolled; ships in the harbor flew their flags at half-mast; and politicians, journalists, and religious leaders added their voices to the chorus of dismay.The man the city mourned was not a politician, low-country grandee, or military hero. instead , he was John england, the first catholic bishop of charleston.1 John england was born in cork, ireland, in 1786. He was ordained in 1808 and proved to be an energetic priest, founding a catholic monthly in cork and serving as president of the diocesan seminary, inspector of the poor schools, and secretary to the fever hospital in addition to his other priestly duties. He was also an irish patriot, opposing the english government ’s claim to veto rights over the appointment of english and irish bishops.in 1820,in a service in St.Finbar’s cathedral in cork,he was consecrated bishop of charleston, South carolina. He declared it “idle and useless” to take the customary oath of allegiance to the British empire, noting that his first act upon arriving in america would be to renounce it.2 even in an era of missionary bishops who built a church from the ground up, england distinguished himself as a dynamo. in Rome, he earned the moniker “il vescovo a vapore”—the steam bishop. He was an outstanding preacher, perhaps the greatest in the american catholic church of his time, although some auditors found him too theatrical. england’s combativeness and willingness to speak his mind won him admirers and enemies , even among his fellow bishops, several of whom resented his unsolicited advice, found him too receptive to american culture, or distrusted him simply for being irish. But if england and his episcopal colleagues did not always see eye-toeye , many non-catholics loved him. a Protestant merchant from South carolina described him as “beloved by all the cultured people of the State” 2 introduction and recalled many pleasant evenings spent in conversation with him “over a glass of irish whiskey or a bottle of madeira,with which his cellar was kept well stocked by his numerous friends.”3 When england died in 1842,these friends of all denominations joined in mourning. Jewish, lutheran, episcopalian ,Presbyterian,Baptist,congregationalist,universalist,methodist, and unitarian representatives gathered in the cathedral of charleston for the burial service. Thousands of mourners filed past his casket. as the Charleston Patriot noted, “the church was thronged by persons of every rank and denomination.”4 The Charleston Courier commented on the ecumenical significance of the event,hoping that the representatives gathered “to bury with him . . . in one common grave, their memories of past dissensions and antipathies.”5 This incident—and many like it—suggests that cooperation, not conflict , marked relations between catholics and Protestants in at least some regions of antebellum america.to be sure,the antebellum South produced striking incidents of catholic-Protestant animosity, and those incidents have loomed large in american religious historiography.6 too large. more often than not, southern Protestants supported catholics, particularly in building hospitals, schools, and churches. catholics reciprocated when they could. Bishop england contributed to a Protestant-run school in Savannah , and his colleague in Kentucky, Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget, promised to help two Protestant missionaries distribute Bibles.7 But because catholics were chronically short of resources, Protestants normally assisted them without expecting or receiving anything material in return. in the South, Protestant support continued throughout the antebellum period. one of the most striking aspects of this support is how little it changed over the decades.This work does not adopt a chronological approach for precisely this reason.The motives behind Protestant support for catholics may have varied by time and place,but the support itself was remarkably consistent. elsewhere in america, in contrast, attitudes toward catholics hardened as immigration spiked. Some southerners were also antagonistic,but overall Protestant generosity counterbalanced—and even surpassed—the hostility.This striking amicableness had multiple sources. it emerged, in part, because of catholics’loyalty as southerners, especially their support for slavery.But other factors reinforced Protestant openness. civic pride prompted some to contribute to catholic institutions. curiosity led others to admire catholic worship. Similarities between catholic and southern culture also improved relations.The reasons were complex, but they led to a remarkable outcome: tolerance and cooperation, more than violence and animosity, marked catholic-Protestant relations in the antebellum South. [18.217.144.32...

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