Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism in the Antebellum WestWhy have Americans expressed concern about immigration at some times but not at others? In pursuit of an answer, this book examines America’s first nativist movement, which responded to the rapid influx of 4.2 million immigrants between 1840 and 1860 and culminated in the dramatic rise of the National American Party. As previous studies have focused on the coasts, historians have not yet completely explained why westerners joined the ranks of the National American, or “Know Nothing,” Party or why the nation’s bloodiest anti-immigrant riots erupted in western cities—namely Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis. In focusing on the antebellum West, Inventing America’s First Immigration Crisis illuminates the cultural, economic, and political issues that originally motivated American nativism and explains how it ultimately shaped the political relationship between church and state. |
Contents
Culture War 31 | |
CONTENTS | |
The Power of Nativist Rhetoric 60 | |
The Specter of AntiCatholicism New Nativism and the Ascendancy of Religious | |
Other editions - View all
Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism in the ... Luke Ritter Limited preview - 2020 |
Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism in the ... Luke Ritter No preview available - 2020 |
Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism in the ... Luke Ritter No preview available - 2020 |