1870, attempts were made to limit the power of the
Catholic Church in politics. In Latin America, national
independence movements often coincided with
attacks on the Catholic Church, which was seen as
defending the Spanish Empire. So, in Mexico, for
example, the revolution for independence went hand-
in-hand with abolishing church control of govern-
ment, though the social and cultural influence of
Catholicism continued.
In the United States of America, anticlericalism has
never been strong, partly because legal separation of
CHURCH AND STATEprevented the clergy from having
formal political power. Even in those states that had
official churches (e.g., Connecticut, Virginia, and
Massachusetts), the ministers seldom ruled directly
and were at the forefront of popular, democratic move-
ments (such as the Revolutionary War). Consequently,
freedom of religion in America has produced a gener-
ally positive image of clergy, respect for religious insti-
tutions, and pervasive social and cultural influence by
the church. Criticism of particular denominations or
church leaders (especially when they get too involved
in politics, like Marion “Pat” ROBERTSONrunning for
president) is common in the United States, but public
opinion polls consistently reveal a high regard for min-
isters in general. The closest thing to anticlericalism in
the United States is some radical Protestant church’s
belief in the “priesthood of all believers” and resistance
to a full-time, professional clergy. Quakers, Mormons,
some Baptists, and Disciples fear the sharp distinction
between ordained clergy and laity (ordinary church
members) because it introduces an unhealthy hierar-
chy in the church and authority in the clergy. Most
U.S. churches avoid this by democratically appointing
their ministers.
Further Reading
Sanchez, J. M. Anticlericalism.Notre Dame, Ind.: University of
Notre Dame Press, 1972.
Antifederalists
A group of political leaders, who, after the American
Revolution, opposed the ratification of the new U.S.
CONSTITUTION. Several prominent American leaders
were Antifederalists, including Patrick HENRY, Samuel
Adams, and George Mason. Thomas JEFFERSONwas not
a member of this group because he supported the Con-
stitution, but he sympathized with their view. The
Antifederalists opposed the new Constitution because
they felt that it gave too much power to the central
federal government (and away from the state govern-
ments) and it gave too much authority to the executive
(president) and judicial (Supreme Court) branches of
the national government at the expense of the legisla-
ture (Congress).
The Antifederalists wished to keep the loose con-
federacy of the government during the American Rev-
olution (under the Articles of Confederation) with a
weak central government and most power in the indi-
vidual states. The supporters of the U.S. Constitution,
or FEDERALISTS, such as James MADISON, George Wash-
ington, and Alexander HAMILTON, found the decentral-
ized politics of the Articles of Confederation too
weak, chaotic, and ineffective. The Federalists
believed that without the strong central government
of the U.S. Constitution, the United States would be
threatened by foreign countries and troubled by con-
flict between the states. The Antifederalists felt that
the VIRTUEand DEMOCRACYof a decentralized confeder-
acy was worth having less military strength and
national commerce. They feared that the strong cen-
tral regime of the U.S. Constitution’s federal govern-
ment would lead to financial corruption, political
oppression, and IMPERIALISM.
With the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, in
1787, the Antifederalists were defeated, but their
views favoring STATES RIGHTS and a limited federal
government continued. The secession of Southern
states during the American Civil War and establish-
ment of the Confederate States of America is an
expression of this Antifederalist sentiment. Even after
the defeat of the South, the imposition of national
supremacy over domestic affairs continues into the
20th century (e.g., during the presidency of Ronald
REAGAN1980–89).Further Reading
Main, J. T. The Anti-Federalists.Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press, 1961.Aquinas, St. Thomas (1225–1274) Theolo-
gian and philosopher
The leading CATHOLIC thinker of the Middle Ages,
author of the enormous book Summa Theologica,
which discusses all topics of ethics, religion, politics,
economics, and metaphysics. This worldview, which
came to be known as THOMISTtheology, is now the offi-
cial perspective of the Roman Catholic Church.Aquinas, St. Thomas 15