Nationalism And Nativism In The 1800s

The United States is often referred to as a Nation of Immigrants. Every person in America is either an immigrant or their ancestors were immigrants. A major period of immigration occurred in the mid nineteenth century. As population started to increase in the United States during the 19th century, immigration was a leading contributor to the population size. To some immigrants America was a safe haven from the events happening in their native country such as famine in Ireland to economic struggles in Germany. While to others it was opportunity to make it big in America because farm land was very cheap. This sparked people from many countries to move to America such as Irish, German, French, and Chinese. Mass immigration did not start until 1830’s. Immigration caused many mixed feelings for Americans, some saw immigration positively while others saw it negatively. This caused ideas such Nationalism and Nativism to be born. This essay will discuss the views of different Americans and how immigration impacted America from 1830-1850’s.
Most of the immigrants who came to America were either Irish or German. Immigration brought many Irish to America. Many Americans did not understand why so many Irish emigrants were showing up on their shores. Ireland was facing famine because their staple crop potato stopped growing. In a letter from a Rev. …show more content…
One way is my introducing the belief of Nativism. Nativism is the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants. The Know-Nothing Party was created by the belief of Nativism in the 1840s. They wanted to limit the amount of immigrants entering the United States through laws. Nativism caused hate crime to be committed on immigrants. The Nativist tried to “burn out the poor Irish families from their little homes”. This shows how some Americans disliked Irish immigrants and what they were willing to do to show their