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Emilie Winicker
Professor Dana Gregory Griffith
Understanding Religious Intolerance
18 Mar 2016
Religious Intolerance in Cincinnati
Cincinnati has a long history of German immigrants. Although Germans in Cincinnati
were discriminated against at times throughout history, they themselves also participated in
intolerant acts toward people of certain ethnic or religious backgrounds. In the mid-1800s,
violent acts against Catholics were not unheard of. The events surrounding the riot of 1853
illustrate a deep intolerance of Catholics based on misunderstandings about the Catholic faith.
On Christmas of 1853, rioters marched through the streets of Cincinnati in protest of a
visit from Archbishop Gaetano Bedini (Connelly 101), who was visiting several Catholic
communities in America as a representative of the Pope (Fortin 108). At about 10 pm, about 500
men and 100 women walked toward the Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati. The Freimaenner, a
group of radical young German immigrants, composed most of the group (Connelly 100). They
carried weapons and signs reading Down with Bedini, No Priest, Down with the Roman
Butchers, No Popery. Some carried an effigy of Bedini, hanging by the neck from a scaffold,
with a mitre on his head and a cross on his chest (Connelly 101).
The police, having been alerted to the escalating situation, were watching the march. As
the rioters neared the Cathedral, the police approached them, blocking their path. A shot was

fired, and the police broke up the mob. Over 60 rioters were arrested. 2 policemen and 15
Germans were injured. One of the latter died from his wounds (Connelly 101).
There is a great amount of historical context surrounding this incident of intolerance. The
mob had been led by the Freimaenner, or Society of Freemen. These men believed that there
would be no freedom until Christianity was abolished. They were a violent group of young
German immigrants who often engaged in violent acts. Although their anger was not confined to
Catholics alone, in December of 1853 they specifically aimed to attack the archbishop based on
his religious identity (Connelly 100).
Although the Freimaenner were an extremist group, intolerance against Catholics was
common in the mid-1800s. Nationalism was taking hold across America, and anyone seen as not
truly American was an outcast. Catholics were considered one of those others. An article by
Julie Byrne explains that the 19th century saw an explosion of lower-class Catholic immigrants.
In 1850 Catholics made up only five percent of the total U.S. population. By 1906, they made
up seventeen percent of the total population (14 million out of 82 million people)and
constituted the single largest religious denomination in the country. In Cincinnati, one third of
the citys population was German at the time of Bedinis visit, and the vast majority of these
Germans were Protestant (Connelly 98).
This wave of immigration was disruptive not only to the previously close-knit Catholic
community, but to the predominantly Protestant population of the whole United States.
Intolerance of Catholics became a norm. According to an article on the Library of Congress
website, Protestants burned down St. Marys Catholic Church in New York City in 1831, while
in 1844, riots in Philadelphia left thirteen dead. Ohio History Central explains that the Know

Nothing political party sought to keep Catholics out of public office and out of jobs in the private
sector, on grounds that Catholics were not truly American because of their allegiance to the
Vatican. And in Cincinnati, on the eve of Bedinis visit, a group called the Forty-Eighters
wrote an inflammatory article in their publication the Hochwaechter, hoping to call the
Freimaenner to action (Connelly 98). The article contained such statements as:
Bedini is not our guest; he is a robber, a beast of prey, intending to destroy the peace of
this country also Is there no ball, no dagger, for a monster whose equal was never on
earth?
Wherever are gallant men, wherever there are men, there must be a conspiration against
the life or such a monster.
(Hochwaechter)
The participants in the Cincinnati riot were brought to court. However, it appears that the
proceedings were a farce. Local papers spun the police officers actions as an unwarranted
attack on the Germans. The prosecuting attorney said that no evidence in the testimonies showed
any intent to harm Bedini. The police could only identify 7 of the rioters. The defendents were
discharged because the case had been abandoned by the prosecution. The publisher of the
Hockwaechter was discharged because there was no proof he had conspired to kill Bedini
(Connelly 103).
For the remainder of Bedinis visit, he continued visiting parishes and schools. The
Archbishop of Cincinnati, Purcell, wrote to the Archbishop of Baltimore to tell him that The
wicked had been confounded The heart of the Nuncio abounds with consolation in the midst of
tribulations, which, of course, he also feels (Connelly 107). After Bedini safely departed

Cincinnati, Purcell donated $10 to aid in the treatment of the injured rioters. But the money was
returned along with a rude note (Connelly 103). Although Bedini decided to cut his visit to
America short after the events in Cincinnati, he did send a questionnaire to Catholic Church
leaders, explaining that he wanted to know more about the aspects of Catholic life not captured
in numerical statistics (Connelly 110).
Much anti-Catholic sentiment stemmed from misconceptions. Catholics were suspicious
because they held church services in a foreign tongue (Latin) and answering to a Foreign
power (the Pope). Because Catholicism was seen as rigidly structured and hierarchical, it was
deemed undemocratic. Because of these things, many Americans questioned Catholics ability to
be loyal to America. Books and news articles were written about Catholic conspiracies to
overthrow America (Fortin 102).
In reality, many Catholics were coming to America to escape tyranny and hardship. The
National Humanities Center states that this was a time of upheaval in Europe. The Irish potato
famine struck in 1845. Laborers were being put out of the job by industrialization. The borders of
nations were being redrawn and renamed as revolutions took hold. Many immigrants were
destitute, willing to work for the lowest wages at the toughest jobs (Fortin 102). Catholic
immigrants came from all different backgrounds, but they all came seeking the same freedom
and prosperity that had attracted the Protestants before them.
Because of these false assumptions, Americans in Cincinnati were all too eager to believe
that Bedini had suppressed nationalist revolutions in Italy, and that he was directly responsible
for the deaths of revolutionary leaders. The article in the Hochwaechter opens with the
following:

Reader, dost thou know who Bedini is? Lo! there is blood on his hands - human blood!
Lo! the skin will not leave his hands which at his command was flayed from Ugo Bassi!
Lo! a murderer, a butcher of men... (Hochwaechter)
In reality, as explained in the Encyclopedia Britannica, it was Austrias troops that executed the
rebels. Bedini had been in charge of restoring order after the rebellion, but he had no active role
in the deaths of its leaders (Fortin, 108).
Anti-Catholic sentiment would continue to rear its head throughout American history.
Lutheran family members from my grandparents generation remember crossing the street to
avoid walking past a Catholic. Stories are still told about a cousin who became estranged for
marrying a Catholic. Theological differences between Catholics and Protestants still create
interdenominational divides. Some Protestants, particularly Lutherans, still speak of Catholics
with condescension.
However, steps are being taken to restore unity between Lutherans and Catholics. Most
recently, an article in the New York Times from Jan 2016, Pope Francis is planning to attend a
commemorative service of 500th anniversary of the Reformation this year in Sweden. At a
vespers service in Rome, the Pope addressed the divide between the two denominations, saying
that when together the Christians of different churches listen to the word of God and try to put it
in practice, they achieve important steps toward unity.
Catholics and Lutherans will attend school together. My brother and I are Lutheran, and
we both attended Catholic grade school. My Catholic friends attended my churchs Lutheran preschool. Catholics and Protestants are learning to accept teach others differences.