Nursing within the United States took a decidedly different path than in similar countries. Due to the absence of a stronghold of Catholicism within America, the nursing field was not comprised of nuns. Nursing officially began in the early 1700’s when the first almshouse was opened in Philadelphia. However, many of the hospitals that were created in the ever-expanding United States throughout the next 2 centuries were largely derived because of the fear from local governments of diseases spreading to the more wealthy population. Therefore, they did not receive the proper funding that would have allowed for the training of nurses.