MY AMERICAN HISTORY

Question 1

What was the Know-Nothing party?

Answer 1

Know-Nothing party, byname of American Party, U.S. political party that flourished in the 1850s. It was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant and especially anti-Roman Catholic sentiment that started to manifest itself during the 1840s.

When a member was asked about his activities, he was supposed to reply, “I know nothing.” Outsiders derisively called them “Know Nothings”, and the name stuck.