not just democratic opponents but republican opponents complained it was essentially an -- unrepublican, that it was not legitimate. they were very wary of disenfranchising a significant portion of the population. i also want to add -- democrats also, in addition to the arguments we have mentioned, democrats also contended former confederates had sworn oaths of loyalty. they had sworn they would support the union in the future. they had returned to their loyalties in good faith. the argument among democrats was that they are loyal citizens. they have sworn to be loyal in the future. they should not be discriminated against. as one democrat put it, the people of the south, once rebels, are rebels no longer. republican congressmen hesitated to impose on an arena that had traditionally been the province of states. voter qualifications. especially to impose what would be unpopular policies. still, the 14th amendment was a powerful and revolutionary expression of a quality written into the constitution. in the antebellum era, the chief justice of the supreme court had declared blacks were so

the hierarchy of the church reflects this unamerican, unrepublican, undemocratic way of thinking and operating. so that's kind of a mark against them. he's saying it's worst. what's the conspiracy? >> a really big connection between the catholic church and european influence. he sees catholics in america as still beholden to the pope and then with that political influence in europe. >> right. so notice he's saying the foreign conspiracy. to most non-catholics, particularly those who are concerned about the rise of catholicism in the united states, they're saying catholicism disqualifies you as a true republican citizen. not only do you believe in this hierarchy way of operating society, but you also, according to their understanding of things, owe complete loyalty to a foreign king, a foreign power. in this case the pope. the pope was a civil leader. they see him as a king, a different sort of king. but they depict him in royal terms, which sht counter opposite of americans political understanding of themselves. what else? anybody want to tell me a phrase or something that stood out