Early American Immigration Terms
Acculturation
The adoption or assimilation of American culture by foreign immigrants.American Dream
The ideal of freedom and opportunity that allows all Americans to aspire to a higher standard of living than that achieved by their parents.American Party
The name chosen for the short-lived political party of the Know-Nothing movement in the 1850s. The American Party nominated Millard Fillmore for the presidency in 1856, but Fillmore finished behind both the Democratic and Republican candidates.Assimilation
The process through which a particular immigrant group abandons its ethnic traditions to adopt the cultural mores of mainstream America.Citizenship
The status of being a citizen of the United States. Citizenship can be attained either through birthright (for those born in the United States) or through naturalization (for those who immigrate to the United States from foreign countries).Coolie
A racist and pejorative term for low-skilled, low-wage Asian laborers.Demagogue, Demagoguery
A political leader who wins support by inflaming the passions and prejudices of the public at large.Depression
A depression is a severe economic downturn marked by a sharp rise in unemployment and a steep decline in manufacturing and production. Before the Great Depression of the 1930s, these economic crises were referred to as "panics."Know-Nothingism, Know-Nothings, Know-Nothing, Know Nothing, Know Nothings
A brand of American nativist politics first associated with the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s, Know-Nothingism has since also acquired a general connotation of ignorance and uninformed xenophobia. It is now a vaguely pejorative term for anti-immigration viewpoints.Nativism, Nativist, Nativists
A xenophobic policy or ideology which stresses the interests of a country's native inhabitants over those of immigrants. Many, though not all, white Anglo-Saxon Protestants of 19th-century America became embodiments of this philosophy to varying degrees. Nativism included the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment most prevalent during the decades leading up to the Civil War, when large numbers of Irish and German immigrants poured into the U.S.Those most concerned about foreign immigration joined nativist political parties. The most prominent of these parties was the American Party (a.k.a. the Native American Party, a.k.a. the Know-Nothings), which began in 1843 and called for a 25-year residency qualification for citizenship and sought to elect only native-born Americans to political office. The Know-Nothings enjoyed political victories on state and local levels, notably in Massachusetts and Delaware in 1854, the pinnacle-year of their success.
But the slavery issue eclipsed the nativists in importance and public attention, and ultimately divided their membership along sectional lines.