Know-Nothing Movement

The Know-Nothing movement was an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic movement in the 1850s led by nativist politicians who were commonly known as Know-Nothings. Drawing widespread support from native-born Protestant Americans, the Know-Nothings achieved substantial electoral success in 1854 with a proscriptive platform against foreigners, especially Catholics. Although the Know-Nothings lost their influence in the political scene within a few years, their nativist language and legislative agenda were inherited by subsequent anti-immigrant movements in the United States.

The origins of the Know-Nothing movement date to the 1840s. In 1844, a secret fraternal society called the Order of United Americans (OUA) was formed in New York City for the purpose [Page 1299]of influencing politics for anti-immigrant ends. Another organization, named the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner (OSSB), was founded in 1850, again in New York City, with a similar objective. The OSSB later expanded by incorporating members of the OUA, and at some point between May 1853 and May 1854, the OSSB came to be known as the “Know-Nothings.” It has been commonly believed that the name Know-Nothings came from the members’ alleged practice of saying “I know nothing” to questions about their activities for the protection of their secrecy, but the precise origin of the name has not been identified.

From 1845 to 1854, the United States received approximately 2.9 million immigrants, meaning that more immigrants arrived in America in that decade than in the seven previous decades combined. This unparalleled influx of foreigners, especially poor Catholics from Ireland and the German states, stimulated intense antagonism against Catholic immigrants among Protestant Americans. In 1854, the growing anti-immigrant sentiment resulted in the rise of the Know-Nothings in local, state, and national politics.

In the fall elections of 1854, the American Party—the Know-Nothings’ official organization—won stunning victories as a third party. The Know-Nothings were particularly popular in northern states, not only for their anti-immigrant ideology but also for their antislavery inclination. Disenchanted with the Whigs and Democrats for their failure to prevent the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which opened western territories to slavery under the principle of popular sovereignty, northern voters regarded the American Party as an alternative to the traditional parties. By the end of 1855, the Know-Nothings had captured more than 100 seats in Congress; eight governorships; mayor's offices in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago; and thousands of local elected positions.

As they sat down in their new offices, the Know-Nothings started to pursue their nativist policy based on their two principal tenets. First, they believed that Protestantism defined American society and that Catholic immigrants, with their hierarchical and despotic church, were attempting to overturn American society. Second, the Know-Nothings believed that only native-born Americans could understand and operate American republican institutions.

Following these convictions, the Know-Nothings sought to deter naturalization and curtail the political power of immigrants. Most notably, the Know-Nothings in Congress proposed extending the probationary period before naturalization from the existing five years to 21 years, although this attempt ultimately remained unfulfilled. Nativists were more successful in implementing their policies at the state level. Know-Nothing state legislators disbanded Irish militia companies and reduced the number of judges qualified to administer the process of naturalization, thereby delaying immigrants’ participation in elections. To limit the Catholic Church's wealth and political influence, the Know-Nothings also enacted church property laws, which required lay boards of trustees instead of diocesan officials to hold title to church real estate.

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