Volume 14 , Issue 39

Know-Nothing (American Republican) Party (1843-1856)

Have you ever heard of the Know-Nothing (American) party of the late 1840's and early 1850's that had a strong foothold in the 1850's? Who were they? How did they come about? And . . . Why? How does this "Know Nothing" party sound like a certain "Republican Tea party" of the 21st century?

The Know Nothing movement by the Nativist American political faction of the 1850's, characterized by political xenophobia, anti-Catholic sentiment and occasional bouts of violence against the groups the Nativists targeted. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Republican values and controlled by the Pope in Rome. It was mainly active from 1854 to 1856, striving to curb immigration and naturalization. Its efforts met with little success, though. Membership was limited to Protestant males of British American lineage. Nativists became active in politics in New York in 1843 as the American Republican party. It spread to nearby states as the "Native American party", which appealed to native-born white male citizens.

It seems the "Know-Nothing" movement in U.S. history began at an increasing rate when immigration in the 1840's encouraged Nativism. Back in that time in Eastern cities Roman Catholic where immigrants had concentrated and were welcomed by the Democrats, local "Nativistic societies were formed to combat "foreign" influences and the uphold the American view.

The American Party was formed in 1843 in New York, spreading into neighboring states as the Native American party, which became a national party at its Philadelphia convention in 1845. This movement was temporarily eclipsed by the Mexican War and the debates over slavery. The slavery issue was temporarily quieted by the Compromise of 1850 when nativism again came to the forefront. [Compromise of 1850 consisted of 5 laws passed in September of 1850; dealt with the issue of slavery. In 1849 California requested permission to enter the Union as a free state, potentially upsetting the balance between the free and slave states in the U.S. Senate. Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850, in an attempt to seek a compromise and avert a crisis between North and South.]

Many secret orders grew up, which the Order of United Americans [formed in New York in 1844, a nativistic benevolent association that quickly attained nationwide membership, limited to American laborers; society was principally an agency for the dissemination of anti-catholic & anti foreign propaganda.] and the Order of the Star-spangled Banner [oath-bound secret society in New York City; created in 1849 by Charles Allen to protest the rise of Irish, Roman Catholic, and German immigration into the United States; men had to be at least 21, protestant, willing to obey the order's dictates without question; members were Nativists, opposed to immigration, especially by Catholics.] came to be the most important.

It was these organizations that baffled political managers of the older parties, since efforts to learn something of the leaders or designs of the movement were futile. All inquiries of supposed members were met with a statement to the effect that "they knew nothing." From then on members were called "Know-Nothings," although there was never a political organization bearing the name.

There was an effort concentrated back then of only electing only native-born Americans to office and on agitating for a 25-year residence qualification for citizenship. The Know-Nothings allied themselves with the group of Whigs who followed Millard Fillmore and almost captured New York State in the 1854 election, while they did sweep the polls in Massachusetts and Delaware and had local successes in other states.

The disintegration of the Whig party aided them in their strides toward national influence. It was in 1854 they looked toward extension into the South, and in the following year (1855) they openly assumed the name American party and cast aside much of their characteristic secrecy. By June, 1855, a crisis developed. At a meeting of the national council in Philadelphia, Southerners seized control and adopted a resolution calling for the maintenance of slavery. The slavery issue, after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (which repealed the Missouri Compromise, allowing slavery in the territory north of the 36° 30' latitude, introduced by Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois), again came to the front, and this time the slavery issue split apart the "Know-Nothing" movement as it had the Whigs.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act stipulated that the issue of slavery would be decided by the residents of each territory, a concept known as popular sovereignty. After the bill passed on May 30, 1854, violence erupted in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, a prelude to the Civil War.

The anti-slavery men went into the newly organized Republican party. Millard Fillmore, the American Party candidate for President in 1856, polled a small vote and won only the state of Maryland. The national strength of the "Know-Nothing" movement thus was broken.

The Republicans of the 1850's look nothing like and would not recognize the Republicans of the 21st century Today.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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