I Know Nothing!

Beginning in the 1840’s, a group called “The Know-Nothings” began referring to themselves as “Native Americans”, meaning that the members had been born in the United States. This is not to be confused with the current usage of the term “Native American” which refers to descendants of aboriginal or indigenous peoples of the Americas. These “Native Americans” were only “born here” and had in mind agitation and “reform” against the then current tide of those who were not born here – Irish, Germanic and Catholic immigrants to the U.S.

Whenever a member of this burgeoning political movement was asked about the group, he would simply say, “I know nothing”, hence the name.

The Know-Nothings sought to bar immigrants from public jobs, deny them fair trade and decent housing and urged the compulsory and exclusive use of English throughout the United States and in doing so became quite popular. They went so far as to shut down construction on the Washington monument because an honorary plaque from the Vatican had been installed.

In response, Abraham Lincoln wrote, “As a nation we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal’… when the Know-Nothings obtain control, it will be: ‘All men are created equal except Negroes, foreigners and Catholics’.”

The Know-Nothings’ success was short lived as people began to realize that they had little to fear from the new immigrants and the Know-Nothing political momentum was eventually absorbed into, ironically, the Northern branch of the new Republican party, Lincoln’s Party.

Things have’t changed all that much. People remain afraid and feel threatened by the unknown. The unknown are no longer the Irish, German and Catholic immigrants who were my ancestors but are now Hispanic, Indian and Asian immigrants. In time, many of these groups and their descendants will assimilate. They will speak English, they will work hard and they will pay taxes. Most already do. Many of them will defend this country in the armed forces or they will serve it as public officials. Like Lincoln, the descendant of immigrants, one or more of them may become president one day.

Sadly, the “Know-Nothings” are still with us today. They are the folks who want to shoot Mexicans as they cross the border, they are the people who insist on English only being spoken in our schools and our public places. Today’s Know-Nothings are the folks like our friend in Tullahoma who displays signs like these:

George Santayana said. “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it”

We do not know our history well enough.

We are repeating it.