page_title: 20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States
section_title: 1928 Presidential election
hierarchical_section_title: 20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States / Early 20th century / 1928 Presidential election
caption_attribution_description: New York Governor Al Smith waves to crowds during his run for President
context_page_description: The 20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States was characterized by a period of continuous growth for the Church in the United States, with Catholics progressively evolving from a small minority to a large minority.
context_section_description: In 1928, Al Smith became the first Roman Catholic to gain a major party's nomination for president, and his religion became an issue during the campaign.  Many Protestants feared that Smith would take orders from church leaders in Rome in making decisions affecting the country. Smith was from New York City, with strong ties to the Democratic machine known as Tammany Hall.  To top it off, he was a wet who strongly opposed national prohibition.
caption: Al Smith
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