The Radicalization of James McMaster: The "Puritan" North as an Enemy of Peace, the Constitution, and the Catholic Church
During the era of the American Civil War, James McMaster (1820-1886), the editor of the New York Freeman's Journal and Catholic Register, advanced the view that the Lincoln administration was a "Puritan" military dictatorship, seeking to impose "Yankee" (New England) policie...
| Published in: | US catholic historian |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Soc.
[2018]
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| In: |
US catholic historian
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| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KBQ North America KDB Roman Catholic Church KDD Protestant Church RH Evangelization; Christian media |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | During the era of the American Civil War, James McMaster (1820-1886), the editor of the New York Freeman's Journal and Catholic Register, advanced the view that the Lincoln administration was a "Puritan" military dictatorship, seeking to impose "Yankee" (New England) policies at the expense of Southerners, Catholics, and the U.S. Constitution. McMaster saw Puritan repression in direct attacks on Catholic freedoms such as the silencing of bishops, the conscription of Catholics to fight a perceived unjust war, and the suppression of Catholic political dissenters. McMaster's criticism of the North, which was initially mixed with criticism of the Confederacy, was at first moderate (by the standards of the time). As the war progressed, though, McMaster's attitude grew more radical as he developed Confederate sympathies, fervent racism, and sympathy with mob violence. Causes of this radicalization include McMaster's pre-war experience with Know-Nothings and other enemies of Catholicism, the death of his Unionist political hero Stephen Douglas, his family background amid sectarian Protestant quarrels, and most significantly, McMaster's friendship with Confederate fellow-prisoners during his imprisonment by the Lincoln administration. |
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| ISSN: | 1947-8224 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: US catholic historian
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/cht.2018.0023 |