The Know-Nothings and Today’s GOP: A Warning from History
In 1855, Abraham Lincoln lamented the rise of the Know-Nothing Party, a nativist movement that sought to exclude immigrants—particularly Catholics—from American society.
Writing in frustration, he declared that if the Know-Nothings gained power, the United States would lose its moral standing as a land of freedom. Lincoln’s words serve as a stark warning today, as the modern Republican Party embraces a brand of nativism eerily reminiscent of the Know-Nothings. History has shown us the dangers of such movements, and if we fail to heed its lessons, we risk undermining the very ideals that define America.
The Know-Nothings emerged in response to a mid-19th-century surge in immigration from Ireland and Germany. Their rhetoric was steeped in fearmongering, and they claimed that Catholic immigrants were beholden to the Pope and incapable of assimilating into American society. They sought to restrict immigration, implement longer naturalization periods, and bar Catholics from holding office.
Fast forward to today, and we see the same themes replayed in the Republican Party’s approach to immigration. Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was launched with the infamous claim that Mexico was sending “rapists” and criminals to the U.S. The party has since doubled down on xenophobic policies—family separations at the border, Muslim travel bans, and aggressive efforts to curtail legal immigration.
Even today, ICE raids are being filmed and going viral on social media. South Carolina’s own have even included the raids in their own political theatre. Contrast the raids with the pardons of the January 6 insurrectionists, today’s Republican party has made a clear distinction between those in this country who are beholden to the law and those who are not.
The rhetoric surrounding immigration is strikingly similar to that of the Know-Nothings: immigrants are cast as threats, undeserving of the American dream.
History has shown that anti-immigrant policies are not just morally reprehensible but also economically self-defeating. The Know-Nothings failed because their paranoia ignored the reality that immigrants were essential to the nation’s growth. The same holds true today. According to the National Academy of Sciences, immigrants contribute more in taxes than they consume in government services at the federal level. They drive innovation, make up a significant portion of our healthcare and agricultural workforce, and create jobs as entrepreneurs.
Yet, the GOP’s nativist policies threaten to undermine this. South Carolina, for example, benefits greatly from immigrant labor, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. Cracking down on immigration doesn’t just hurt immigrants—it weakens our local economies and deprives businesses of much-needed workers.
Lincoln understood that nativism was not just bad policy—it was a betrayal of American ideals. He recognized that America’s strength lay in its ability to welcome newcomers and incorporate them into the nation's fabric. Today’s GOP nativism similarly poses a fundamental challenge to American democracy.
Consider the voter suppression tactics that often accompany anti-immigrant rhetoric. Laws requiring strict voter ID, purging voter rolls, and limiting access to multilingual ballots disproportionately affect immigrant communities and communities of color. The Know-Nothings sought to restrict political participation to “real” Americans; the GOP’s modern strategies echo this exclusionary impulse.
The Know-Nothing Party ultimately collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions. It failed to provide real solutions to the economic and social challenges of its time. More importantly, it could not reconcile its nativism with America’s democratic ideals. As the Civil War loomed, Lincoln and the newly formed Republican Party (ironically, the party now embracing nativism) rejected the Know-Nothings and championed a vision of America based on equality and inclusion.
Today, Democrats must reject the GOP’s nativist agenda with the same clarity and urgency. Immigration has always been a source of American strength, and our democracy thrives when we welcome those who seek a better life.
The lessons of the past are clear: nativism is a dead-end ideology, one that weakens both our economy and our moral standing.
Abraham Lincoln chose to stand against the Know-Nothings because he saw the damage their movement would inflict on the nation’s soul. We now see the same choice that Lincoln saw: either we uphold the ideals of democracy and equality, or we succumb to fear and division.
The Know-Nothings faded into history; today’s nativists must do the same.
Abraham Lincoln on Know-Nothings
A Letter to Joshua F. Speed, August 24, 1855:
I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we begin by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.