Know-Nothing movement
E38600
The Know-Nothing movement was a mid-19th-century American political movement and party known for its anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic stance and secretive, nativist organizing.
Aliases (4)
Statements (61)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
nativist movement
→
political movement → political party → |
| activeIn |
1850s
→
19th century → |
| alsoKnownAs |
American Party
→
Know-Nothing Party → Order of the Star-Spangled Banner → |
| coreBelief |
allegiance of Catholics to the Pope threatened American republicanism
→
immigrants undermined American Protestant values → need to preserve political power for native-born Protestants → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| emergedFrom |
Order of the Star-Spangled Banner
→
secret nativist societies → |
| endTime |
late 1850s
→
|
| etymology |
members claimed to "know nothing" when asked about the organization
→
|
| hasCharacteristic |
Protestant nationalist
→
anti-elite sentiment → conspiratorial worldview → fraternal → secretive → xenophobic → |
| hasIdeology |
anti-Catholicism
→
anti-immigrant politics → nativism → populism → |
| hasMainOpposition |
Democratic Party
→
German Catholic immigrants → Irish Catholic immigrants → Roman Catholic Church → |
| hasMembershipBase |
artisans and small businessmen
→
lower-middle-class urban voters → native-born white Protestants → |
| hasPosition |
exclusion of foreign-born from public office
→
extension of naturalization periods → opposition to Catholic political influence → restriction of immigration → |
| influenced |
immigration restriction debates in the United States
→
later American nativist movements → |
| influencedBy |
Protestant revivalism
→
antebellum nativism → increased immigration from Germany → increased immigration from Ireland → urbanization → |
| nominated |
Millard Fillmore
→
|
| nominatedForOffice |
President of the United States
→
|
| notableIn |
Maryland politics
→
Massachusetts politics → New York politics → Pennsylvania politics → Southern United States politics → |
| participatedIn |
1854 United States elections
→
1856 United States presidential election → |
| peakTime |
mid-1850s
→
|
| politicalPosition |
right-wing
→
|
| reasonForDecline |
internal divisions over slavery
→
loss of secrecy and novelty → rise of the Republican Party → sectional conflict over slavery → |
| slogan |
Americans must rule America
→
|
| startTime |
early 1850s
→
|
Referenced by (7)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Henry Winter Davis
("Know Nothing party")
→
John Marshall Harlan ("Know Nothing movement") → Schuyler Colfax ("Know Nothing Party") → |
memberOfPoliticalParty |
|
American Party
("Know-Nothing Party")
→
Know-Nothing movement ("Know-Nothing Party") → |
alsoKnownAs |
|
Nativism in the United States
→
|
associatedWithMovement |
|
Millard Fillmore
("Know Nothing movement")
→
|
laterAffiliation |