The Know Nothing Party

The Know Nothing Party

The Know Nothing Party
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 7 to 9
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.4

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		unofficially, wounded, issue, electoral, political, society, immigration, founded, successful, slavery, regret, election, basis, conflict, suspicion, cheap
	content words:		Irish Catholic, Irish Catholics, United States, Several Protestants, Star-Spangled Banner, New York, Native American Party, American Party, Know Nothing Party, Know Nothings

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The Know Nothing Party
By Joyce Furstenau

¹     Immigration has been an issue in the U.S. for many years. In the early 1800s, a new movement began. A Nativist was a person against immigration. They wanted to stop people from other countries from coming to live in the U.S. Nativists thought immigrants were against our way of life. The Nativists at the time were strongly against Irish Catholic immigrants.

²     In the 1840s, there were many new immigrants in the U.S. By the 1850s, there were almost three million Catholics. The Nativists wanted to stop immigration of Irish Catholics. It was thought that they were more loyal to the Pope than to the United States. Several Protestants of the time felt that the Pope was trying to fill the U.S. with Catholics in order to take over.

³     In 1844, street battles between Catholics and Protestants in Philadelphia broke out. They were fighting over the issue of Catholicism in the schools. The conflict left thirty dead and hundreds wounded.

⁴     In 1849, a secret society calling themselves the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner began in New York. Later they were known as the Native American Party. It became officially known as the American Party. Unofficially, the party was known as the Know-Nothings. The name came about because of the party's secret ways. When a member was asked about the party, they would say, "I know nothing."

⁵     Most of the Know-Nothings were not wealthy. Many were workers or small farmers. They felt their jobs or way of life was in danger because of the cheap labor and strange ways of the new immigrants. Religious differences between Catholics and Protestants had long been a sore point. Fear and suspicion ruled the day.

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