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Who were the Know-Nothings?

The Know-Nothings were members of a U.S. political movement during the mid-1800s. They feared the foreign influence of immigrants (people who leave one country and settle in another), who were arriving in record numbers to the United States in the 1840s. The Know-Nothings banded together, sometimes in secret societies, in order to uphold what they believed to be American traditions. When people who were thought to be members of Know-Nothing groups were asked about their views and activities, the typical response was "I don't know," which gave the movement its name.

The Know-Nothings worked to elect only "native" Americans (U.S.-born citizens) to political office and they urged that the requirement for citizenship be twenty-five years of residence in the United States. Since many immigrants came from European countries and were Roman Catholics (members of a Christian religion based in Rome,...

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