Nativism

During the years leading up to and following the American Civil War (1861–65), anti-immigrant sentiment, or nativism, was an ingrained part of American culture. By the early 1850s, nativists had formed their own political party. It was formally named the American Party but was more commonly known as the Know-Nothing Party . The party got its name from the policy that, when asked about their nativist organizations, members were supposed to reply that they knew nothing. A former U.S. president, Millard Fillmore (1800–1874; served 1850–53), even ran as the party's presidential nominee in 1856; he finished a distant third behind the Democratic and Republican candidates. By 1860, the Know-Nothings had disbanded.

The main targets of nativism were the Irish and the Germans. (See Irish Immigration and German Immigration .) These groups, both Catholic in religious belief, were considered the most dangerous threat to the American way of life not only in terms of religious and moral values but also in economic terms. Millions of immigrants were doing the work many citizens believed should be done by Americans. Nativists considered immigrants a drain on the economy.

Although the Catholics were the most discriminated against in terms of religion, no ethnic group was spared. Italians were suspected of being involved in the Mafia (organized crime). The Chinese who settled in California were resented because they established their own welfare associations to take care of their poor and impose order in Chinatowns, areas of various cities where Chinese immigrants lived and worked. (See Asian Immigration .) But the Jews were the victims of the most intense discrimination. They were stereotyped as being greedy and dishonest in their business dealings. Anti-Semitism (Jewish discrimination) informed laws, and laws prohibited Jews from voting until the middle of the nineteenth century. Anti-Semitism was the driving force behind General Order No. 11, published in 1862 at the height of the Civil War, which stated that all Jews were to be thrown out of the military. The order was revoked by U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865; served 1861–65) after just eighteen days, but its passage reflected the rampant anti-Semitic attitude of the United States at the time. The Jews continued to be blamed for many of society's ills and remained outcast well into the next century.

Nativism eventually led to the development of immigration restriction laws that limited or completely prevented certain immigrants from coming to the United States. (See Jewish Immigration .)