American Party
E38601
The American Party, commonly known as the Know-Nothing Party, was a mid-19th-century U.S. political party that rose to prominence on an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic platform.
Aliases (1)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
defunct political party
→
nativist political party → political party → |
| activeInPeriod |
mid-19th century
→
|
| alsoKnownAs |
Know-Nothing Party
→
Native American Party → |
| corePolicy |
exclusion of foreign-born from public office
→
longer naturalization periods → restrictions on Catholic political influence → restrictions on immigration → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| declineCause |
internal divisions over slavery
→
rise of the Republican Party → sectional conflict over slavery → |
| dissolvedInDecade |
1860s
→
|
| dissolvedInYearApprox |
1860
→
|
| foundedInDecade |
1850s
→
|
| foundedInYearApprox |
1854
→
|
| heldOfficeType |
governorships in several states
→
seats in state legislatures → seats in the United States House of Representatives → |
| historicalSignificance |
illustrated tensions over immigration and religion in U.S. politics
→
major expression of 19th-century American nativism → |
| ideology |
Protestant political movement
→
anti-Catholicism → anti-immigration → nativism → |
| influencedByEvent |
large-scale German immigration during the 1840s and 1850s
→
large-scale Irish immigration during the 1840s → |
| languageOfName |
English
→
|
| mainOppositionTo |
immigration of German Catholics
→
immigration of Irish Catholics → |
| nameOrigin |
nickname derived from members saying "I know nothing"
→
|
| nominatedForPresident |
Millard Fillmore
→
|
| nominatedForVicePresident |
Andrew Jackson Donelson
→
|
| notableElection |
United States presidential election of 1856
→
|
| opposedReligion |
Roman Catholic Church
→
|
| originatedFrom |
Order of the Star Spangled Banner
→
secret nativist societies → |
| peakInfluenceYearApprox |
1854
→
1855 → |
| politicalPosition |
right-wing
→
|
| receivedElectoralVotesIn |
1856 United States presidential election
→
|
| secretSocietyPractice |
members instructed to say "I know nothing" when questioned
→
|
| strongestSupportRegion |
Mid-Atlantic United States
→
Northeast United States → some Southern states → |
| succeededBy |
Republican Party in many Northern states
→
|
| supportedReligion |
Protestantism
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
American Party
("Native American Party")
→
Know-Nothing movement → |
alsoKnownAs |
|
Nativism in the United States
→
|
associatedWithMovement |