Download Class presentation Anti Immigration Sentiment 1850s

Anti Immigration of the 1850s –1890s
Irish, Italian, Catholic, Asian Assimilation is Doubted & Discriminated
Know Nothing Party -byname of American Party U.S. political party that flourished in the
1850s. The Know-Nothing party was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant and
especially anti-Roman Catholic (Irish and Italian) sentiment that started to manifest itself
during the 1840s. A rising tide of immigrants, primarily Germans in the Midwest and Irish in the
East, seemed to pose a threat to the economic and political security of native-born
Nativism
Many nativists—Americans descended primarily from Irish and German immigrants (but not
exclusively those groups)—claimed that the newly arriving southern and eastern European
immigrants would not be able to assimilate into American society. They saw these
immigrants as illiterate and poor, unable to learn English and with little experience living in a
democratic society. Many of America’s Protestants also disliked the fact that many of the
new immigrants were Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Jewish. Many Anglo-Saxon Americans
worried that eastern and southern Europeans would “outbreed” them and take over their once“pure” race. Many nativists joined the American Protective Association to lobby for
immigration restrictions; Congress conceded and eventually barred criminals and the extremely
destitute from entry in 1882.
Nativists in the United States reserved special hatred for Chinese immigrants—a group
that had worked countless hours of labor at low wages, especially on railroad construction in
the West. Unions pressed Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, completely
banning Chinese immigration to the United States. Congress did pass the act, and it remained
in place until 1943.
Summary
Know Nothing Party – popular name of the American Party - flourished in the 1850s. The
Know-Nothing party was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant and especially antiRoman Catholic (Irish and Italian)
Nativism - nativists—Americans descended primarily from Irish and German immigrants (but
not exclusively those groups)—claimed that the newly arriving southern and eastern
European immigrants would not be able to assimilate into American society. Many of
America’s Protestants also disliked the fact that many of the new immigrants were
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Jewish. Nativists in the United States reserved special
hatred for Chinese immigrants
Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, completely banning Chinese immigration to the United
States. Congress did pass the act, and it remained in place until 1943.
Anti Irish Sentiment
Anti Chinese Sentiment