Know - Nothing party [View all]

[Kathy M]

" Know-Nothing party, byname of American Party, U.S. political party that flourished in the 1850s. The Know-Nothing party was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant and especially anti-Roman Catholic sentiment that started to manifest itself during the 1840s. A rising tide of immigrants, primarily Germans in the Midwest and Irish in the East, seemed to pose a threat to the economic and political security of native-born Protestant Americans. In 1849 the secret Order of the Star-Spangled Banner formed in New York City, and soon after lodges formed in nearly every other major American city.


" Members, when asked about their nativist organizations, were supposed to reply that they knew nothing, hence the name. As its membership and importance grew in the 1850s, the group slowly shed its clandestine character and took the official name American Party. As a national political entity, it called for restrictions on immigration, the exclusion of the foreign-born from voting or holding public office in the United States, and for a 21-year residency requirement for citizenship.

By 1852 the Know-Nothing party was achieving phenomenal growth. It did very well that year in state and local elections, and with passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 it won additional adherents from the ranks of conservatives who could support neither the proslavery Democrats nor antislavery Republicans. When Congress assembled on Dec. 3, 1855, 43 representatives were avowed members of the Know-Nothing party.

That, however, was the peak of Know-Nothing power. At the American Peak of Know-Nothing power. At the American Party convention in Philadelphia the following year,"

Rest of article https://www.britannica.com/topic/Know-Nothing-party

I do not remember this from Government class in HS ...... It was good Rachael M went through history of parties the other night on her show . President Obama also referred to the Know - nothing party on fareed Zakaria today , it fits Dons Campaign . Have feeling will hear it again .........

A little bit ago went over to FR there is a post about Obama 's interview , seemed like all the posters attacked Know - nothing as an insult and not an actual party that once was ............