Criminal
01-19-2003, 02:34 AM
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The American (or Know-Nothing) Party
Those of you who saw the film Gangs of New York will recall the political movement of native people against immigration. These groups were organized into a political party called the American or Know Nothing Party. Anti Catholic and Anti Irish they agitated for immigration restrictions and provoked riots in various american cities.
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The American party rose to prominence in 1854 on a platform of nativist and anti-Catholic principles that sought to exclude new immigrants and discriminate against those recent immigrants who had found their way to the United States. Although the party's founders chose the patriotic title "American" for themselves, their penchant for ritual and paranoia earned them the more colorful, and memorable, name of "Know-Nothings." Party members swore an oath of secrecy and promised to deny any affiliation to the organization in public. Instead they were to insist "I know nothing." The tactic made for the party's surprising showing in 1854, as political observers failed to guage its strength.
The Know-Nothings emerged from the disintegrating Whig party, particularly in the North, where native-born Protestants had long formed the heart of its coalition. These people often expressed deep fears of foreign immigration, especially by Catholics. But in trying to maintain a national coalition, Whigs had often compromised on nativist principles. Know-Nothings placed nativism at the top of the political agenda.
Like Whigs, Know-Nothings used nativism in an attempt to secure the Union by turning attention from the divisive slavery issue. But they found themselves divided along sectional lines, much like the other parties. The Know-Nothings' 1854 successes made them a national party and obliged their leaders to take a position on the Kansas-Nebraska Act. After much wringing of hands, Southern Know-Nothings pushed through a resolution supporting Stephen Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska proposal that the two territories decide the slavery issue for themselves. This effectively split the party. Southern Know-Nothings, or "South Americans," nominated the ex-Whig former president Millard Fillmore for the presidency in 1856. Northern Know-Nothings, or "North Americans," found themselves outmaneuvered by the new Republican party, who succeeded in bringing Know-Nothings into the Republican fold.
Coopted in the North and defeated in the South, the Know-Nothing party quickly faded into obscurity. The Know-Nothings' rapid rise nevertheless had a considerable impact upon American party politics. The rise of the Know-Nothings in the North helped destroy the Whig party's base. Fillmore's candidacy in 1856 also helped elect the Pennsylvania Democrat James Buchanan president of the United States. The Republican John C. Fremont ran well in the North, while Fillmore ran well in the South. As the only national candidate, Buchanan brought the Democratic party to the White House and presided over the further unravelling of the American party system's delicate sectional balance.
The American (or Know-Nothing) Party
Those of you who saw the film Gangs of New York will recall the political movement of native people against immigration. These groups were organized into a political party called the American or Know Nothing Party. Anti Catholic and Anti Irish they agitated for immigration restrictions and provoked riots in various american cities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The American party rose to prominence in 1854 on a platform of nativist and anti-Catholic principles that sought to exclude new immigrants and discriminate against those recent immigrants who had found their way to the United States. Although the party's founders chose the patriotic title "American" for themselves, their penchant for ritual and paranoia earned them the more colorful, and memorable, name of "Know-Nothings." Party members swore an oath of secrecy and promised to deny any affiliation to the organization in public. Instead they were to insist "I know nothing." The tactic made for the party's surprising showing in 1854, as political observers failed to guage its strength.
The Know-Nothings emerged from the disintegrating Whig party, particularly in the North, where native-born Protestants had long formed the heart of its coalition. These people often expressed deep fears of foreign immigration, especially by Catholics. But in trying to maintain a national coalition, Whigs had often compromised on nativist principles. Know-Nothings placed nativism at the top of the political agenda.
Like Whigs, Know-Nothings used nativism in an attempt to secure the Union by turning attention from the divisive slavery issue. But they found themselves divided along sectional lines, much like the other parties. The Know-Nothings' 1854 successes made them a national party and obliged their leaders to take a position on the Kansas-Nebraska Act. After much wringing of hands, Southern Know-Nothings pushed through a resolution supporting Stephen Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska proposal that the two territories decide the slavery issue for themselves. This effectively split the party. Southern Know-Nothings, or "South Americans," nominated the ex-Whig former president Millard Fillmore for the presidency in 1856. Northern Know-Nothings, or "North Americans," found themselves outmaneuvered by the new Republican party, who succeeded in bringing Know-Nothings into the Republican fold.
Coopted in the North and defeated in the South, the Know-Nothing party quickly faded into obscurity. The Know-Nothings' rapid rise nevertheless had a considerable impact upon American party politics. The rise of the Know-Nothings in the North helped destroy the Whig party's base. Fillmore's candidacy in 1856 also helped elect the Pennsylvania Democrat James Buchanan president of the United States. The Republican John C. Fremont ran well in the North, while Fillmore ran well in the South. As the only national candidate, Buchanan brought the Democratic party to the White House and presided over the further unravelling of the American party system's delicate sectional balance.