History of the Catholic Church in the United States British-America-born Catholic priest. In 1788, after the Revolution, John Jay urged the New York Legislature to require office-holders to renounce foreign authorities "in all matters ecclesiastical as well as civil." In one state, North Carolina, the Protestant test oath would not be changed until 1868. The Catholic population of the United States, which had been 35,000 in 1790, increased to 195,000 in 1820 and then ballooned to about 1.6 million in 1850, by which time, Catholics had become the country’s largest denomination. Between 1860 and 1890 the population of Roman Catholics in the United States tripled primarily through immigration and
2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California The United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2008 were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent California various congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives. In the 111th Congress, California has 53 seats in the House, apportioned accordingly after the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected to two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 to January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the United States presidential election as well as other elections in California. According to