Editing Knights of Columbus (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of the Knights of Columbus}}
{{see also|History of the Knights of Columbus and Catholic University of America}}
[[File:Father McGivney 300.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting of the Michael J. McGivney.|[[Michael J. McGivney]], founder of the Knights of Columbus]]

=== Early years ===
American Catholic priest [[Michael J. McGivney]] founded the Knights of Columbus at [[St. Mary's Church (New Haven, Connecticut)|St. Mary's Church]] in 1882 as a [[Mutual-benefit nonprofit corporation|mutual benefit society]] for Catholic immigrants in [[New Haven, Connecticut]].{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=18}}<ref name="glenn" />{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|pp=13–14}}{{sfn|Brinkley|Fenster|2006|p=51}} As a parish priest in an immigrant community, McGivney saw what could happen to a family when the main income earner died. This was before most government support programs were established.{{sfn|Brinkley|Fenster|2006|p=51}} Because of religious and ethnic discrimination, Catholics in the late 19th century were regularly excluded from labor unions, popular fraternal organizations, and other organized groups that provided such social services.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|pp=8–9}}

Although its first councils were all in Connecticut, the Order spread throughout [[New England]] and the United States in subsequent years.{{sfn|Koehlinger|2004}} As the order expanded outside of Connecticut, structural changes in the late 1880s and 1890s were instituted to give the Knights a federalist system with local, state, and national levels of government.{{sfn|Skocpol|Ganz|Munson|2000|p=532}} This allowed them to coordinate activities across states and localities.{{sfn|Skocpol|Ganz|Munson|2000|p=533}}

=== 20th century ===
[[File:See him through--Help us to help the boys.jpg|thumb|upright|Poster showing a man in Knights of Columbus uniform gesturing toward soldiers in battle]]

During [[World War I]], the Knights established soldiers' welfare centers in the U.S. and abroad.{{sfn|Flanagan|2017}} After the war, the Knights participated in education, occupational training, and employment programs for veterans.{{sfn|Kauffman|1995}}

The [[Oregon Compulsory Education Act]] of 1922 would have disallowed [[parochial school]]s, including Catholic schools, in that state.<ref name="pierce" /><ref name="oregon" />{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=282}} The Knights of Columbus challenged the law in court with the ACLU,{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=283}} and, in a landmark 1925 ruling (''[[Pierce v. Society of Sisters]]''), the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down.{{sfn|Alley|1999|pp=41–44}}

To combat the animus targeted at racial and religious minorities, including Catholics, the Order formed a historical commission which published a series of books in the 1920s on their contributions, among other activities.<ref name="Queen" />{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|pp=269–270}}{{sfn|Dumenil|1991|p=31}} The "Knights of Columbus Racial Contributions Series" of books included three titles: ''[[s:The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America|The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America]]'', by [[W. E. B. Du Bois]], ''The Jews in the Making of America'' by George Cohen, and ''The Germans in the Making of America'' by Frederick Schrader.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|pp=269–270}}{{sfn|Dumenil|1991|p=31}}

The Knights of Columbus "was the only American fraternal society which did not, by its constitution, prohibit Negro [sic] membership", according to historian Christopher Kauffman.<ref name="columbia racial equality" /> During [[World War I]], the Knights were designated as the official agency for supporting Catholic troops, and its support facilities were the only racially integrated facilities open to troops. [[Emmett Jay Scott]] wrote, "Unlike the other social welfare organizations operating in the war, it never drew the color line."<ref name="columbia racial equality" />

As the Knights grew and expanded, some councils in the United States were integrated, and others were not. An example of an integrated council was Sheridan Council 119 in [[Southborough, Massachusetts]]. Samuel F. Williams, a black man, was a member and among other activities, spoke on the stage of the 1896 Knights of Columbus Massachusetts State Convention to an audience that included two future [[Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus|Supreme Knights]].<ref name="columbia racial equality" /> The path to individual membership in a local Knights council did not explicitly exclude [[African Americans]]. Each local council voted in new members, and as few as four or five negative votes against a prospective candidate (no matter the size of the council) was enough to deny someone entry. Joseph Bertrand, who graduated from the [[University of Notre Dame]] in 1954, was blackballed from joining a Chicago-area Knights council in 1963 after being nominated by Gene Liner. Liner said that as the vote was announced, "I just watched his face. There were five black balls." Liner then resigned his office in the Knights chapter along with five other council leaders.<ref name="Native" />

Meanwhile, Church officials and organizations increasingly encouraged integration. By the end of the 1950s, KoC Supreme Knight [[Luke E. Hart]] was actively encouraging councils to accept black candidates.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=396}} In 1963, Hart attended a special meeting at the White House hosted by President [[John F. Kennedy]] to discuss [[civil rights]] with other religious leaders. After the rejection of Joseph Bertrand's membership application in Chicago, Hart declared that the process for membership would be revised at the next Supreme Convention so that membership rejections would require a majority vote of local council members. The change occurred but Hart died before he could see it take place.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=397}}<ref name="Native" /><ref name="time1958" /><ref name="Queen" />

Around 1915, during the [[nadir of American race relations]], the [[Ku Klux Klan]] began promoting a [[conspiracy theory]] claiming that Fourth Degree Knights swore an oath to exterminate [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants]].<ref name="unjust-charges" />{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=171}}{{sfn|Fry|1922 |pp=109–116}}{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=176}}{{sfn|Mecklin|2013}} The Knights of Columbus vehemently denied the existence of any such oath, calling the rumors libel.<ref name="refuting" /> In 1923, the Knights of Columbus offered $25,000 to any person with proof that the fake oath attributed to the fourth-degree membership was part of any authentic ceremony.<ref name="Reward" /> The Knights began suing distributors for [[libel]] in an effort to stop this,<ref name="Kaceys" /> and the KKK ended its publication of the false oath.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=277}}

=== Recent history ===
[[File:Knights of Columbus headquarters straightened.jpg|thumb|upright|Knights of Columbus headquarters]]

As the Order and its charitable works grew, so did its prominence within the Church.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=419}} [[Pope John Paul I]]'s first audience with a layman was with [[Virgil C. Dechant|Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant]], and [[Pope John Paul II]] met with Supreme Knight Dechant three days after his installation.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=419}} During the pope's 1979 visit to the United States, the Supreme Officers and Board were the only lay organization to receive an audience.{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=420}}

[[Richard Nixon]] addressed the Supreme Convention in 1971.{{sfn|Lapomarda|1992|p=105}} [[Ronald Reagan]] spoke in 1982{{sfn|Lapomarda|1992|p=127}} and 1986<ref name="presidents" /> and [[George W. Bush]] spoke in 2004.<ref name="presidents" /> [[George H. W. Bush]] spoke as vice US president in 1984 and then again as president in 1992.<ref name="presidents" /> [[Bill Clinton]] sent a videotaped message to the 111th Supreme Convention saying the Order's "contributions to the Catholic Church and to your communities merit our applause."<ref name="presidents" />

Church historian [[Massimo Faggioli]] believes the scope of the Knights' philanthropy can "create influence through money, especially in important places like Rome or Washington, D.C."<ref name="financial" />