AMERICA 250
The Catholic Church and the Founding of the United States
As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding on July 4, 1776, America magazine is looking back at the storied history of the church in this country and asking how Catholics today can continue to contribute to the good of the republic at a time of political polarization, military conflict and rapid social and technological change.
On this page you can explore James T. Keane’s feature on how the small Catholic community present at the time of the American Revolution found their place in the fledgling democracy despite widespread anti-Catholic bias; a six-part series from Father Anthony Andreassi on origins of the church in different regions of the country; essays for those who are not feeling particularly celebratory or patriotic on this anniversary and more.
The editors: The unfinished work that remains for the United States of America
Americans should reject the false choice between an uncritical celebration and a despair that is blind to the country’s virtues.
What would Tocqueville say about today’s weakened, politicized Christianity?
If Tocqueville was right, religious disaffiliation threatens to undermine the principles of the Constitution.
How the U.S. Bicentennial wagon train almost got me fired
In the summer of 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial was omnipresent, especially if you lived in or near Philadelphia. And if you were in high school, it was inescapable.
The Catholic stories Ken Burns left out of his new American Revolution documentary
Ken Burns’s new documentary achieves a tone that is unmistakably Burns: measured, atmospheric, at times elegiac and always attentive to nuance.
A woman kisses her rosary at the end of the prayer ceremony on Liberty Island. Credit: Nora Malone 
On the ferry to Liberty Island Rosalinde Block, Michael Cuschieri, Fr. Bruce Nieli, Fr. Chris Lawton, Joey Rodriguez and Lauren Daniels, pose for a photo. Credit: Nora Malone 
Pilgrims pose for a photo at the end of their journey. Credit: Nora Malone 
Pilgrims gather beneath the Statue of Liberty. Credit: Nora Malone 
Pilgrim Bonnie Kahn holds her rosary which she received at her baptism six years ago. Credit: Nora Malone 
A parting shot of Lady Liberty in New York harbor Credit: Kevin Clarke 
The outside of Our Lady of Victory, where the pilgrimage began. Credit: Nora Malone 
Pilgrims pray outside the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Credit: Nora Malone
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