---
title: "Know-Nothing Party — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The American (Know-Nothing) Party was the 1850s nativist, anti-Catholic party that rose as the Whigs collapsed and fell apart over slavery. Key for APUSH Topic 5.5."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# Know-Nothing Party — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The American Party, nicknamed the Know-Nothing Party, was a nativist political party of the 1850s that sought to limit the political power and cultural influence of immigrants, especially Irish and German Catholics, before splintering over the slavery question.

## What It Is

The American Party grew out of secret [nativist](/apush/key-terms/nativist "fv-autolink") societies in the early 1850s. Members were told to say "I know nothing" when asked about the group, which is where the nickname comes from. The party's platform targeted the wave of Irish and German immigrants arriving at mid-century, many of them Catholic. Know-Nothings wanted longer naturalization periods, restrictions on immigrants voting and holding office, and a rollback of Catholic influence in schools and politics. This is exactly the [anti-Catholic](/apush/unit-5/sectional-conflict-before-civil-war/study-guide/Klx3eOhZBS11qtWKIvH2 "fv-autolink") nativist movement the CED describes in KC-5.1.II.B, a reaction against the immigrant communities described in KC-5.1.II.A.

Timing matters here. The Know-Nothings surged right as the [Whig Party](/apush/key-terms/whig-party "fv-autolink") collapsed under the weight of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and for a moment in the mid-1850s they looked like the replacement for the Whigs. They won state elections in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and ran former president Millard Fillmore in 1856. But the party could not dodge the one issue it was built to avoid. Northern and Southern Know-Nothings split over slavery's expansion, and most Northern members drifted into the new Republican Party. A party organized around fear of immigrants was ultimately destroyed by sectionalism, which tells you which force was stronger in the 1850s.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in Topic 5.5 (Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences) in [Unit 5](/apush/unit-5 "fv-autolink"). It directly supports learning objective [APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink") 5.5.A, explaining the effects of immigration on American culture from 1844 to 1877, because the Know-Nothings are the textbook example of KC-5.1.II.B's anti-Catholic nativist backlash. It also connects to APUSH 5.5.B, since the party's collapse shows how slavery overwhelmed every other political question in the 1850s. For the bigger picture, the Know-Nothings are part of the Second Party System's breakdown. The Whigs die, the Know-Nothings flare and fizzle, and the Republicans emerge. That party realignment is one of the most-tested political developments in Period 5.

## Connections

### [Nativism (Units 4-5)](/apush/key-terms/nativism)

The [Know-Nothings](/apush/key-terms/know-nothings "fv-autolink") are nativism turned into an actual political party. The underlying anxiety about Irish Catholic immigrants starts in Period 4, and the American Party is what happens when that anxiety gets a ballot line in the 1850s.

### [Free-Soil Party (Unit 5)](/apush/key-terms/free-soil-party)

Both were short-lived third parties that filled the vacuum left by the crumbling [Second Party System](/apush/key-terms/second-party-system "fv-autolink"), but they organized around opposite anxieties. Free-Soilers feared slavery spreading west; Know-Nothings feared immigrants. Both eventually fed members into the Republican Party.

### [Sectionalism (Unit 5)](/apush/key-terms/sectionalism)

The Know-Nothings tried to build a national party on an issue other than slavery, and [sectionalism](/apush/key-terms/sectionalism "fv-autolink") destroyed them anyway. Their North-South split is great evidence that by the mid-1850s no national institution could stay neutral on slavery.

### Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party (Unit 5)

The Republican coalition of the late 1850s absorbed many Northern Know-Nothings along with Free-Soilers and ex-Whigs. Knowing where Know-Nothing voters went helps you explain how the Republicans became a major party fast enough to win in 1860.

## On the AP Exam

No released FRQ has used "Know-Nothing Party" verbatim, but the term shows up in multiple-choice stems paired with excerpts from nativist speeches, anti-Catholic cartoons, or data on Irish and German immigration. The classic move is asking what the source reflects (nativist backlash, KC-5.1.II.B) or what political development it connects to (the collapse of the Second Party System). In an essay, the Know-Nothings work two ways. For an immigration prompt, they are your evidence of nativist reaction to 1840s-50s migration. For a causation prompt on the Civil War, their failure is evidence that slavery overrode every other political issue. Either way, name the party, say who it targeted (Irish and German Catholics), and explain why it fell apart.

## American Party (Know-Nothing Party) vs Free-Soil Party

Both were 1850s-era third parties that siphoned voters from the dying Whigs, so they blur together easily. The difference is the core issue. The Free-Soil Party opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories (to protect free white labor, not necessarily out of abolitionism). The Know-Nothings opposed immigrants and Catholics, and tried to sidestep slavery entirely. Quick test for an MCQ stem: if the source attacks the Pope, Irish voters, or naturalization laws, it's Know-Nothing; if it attacks slavery in the territories, it's Free-Soil.

## Key Takeaways

- The American Party, nicknamed the Know-Nothing Party, was a nativist party of the 1850s that targeted Irish and German Catholic immigrants.
- It is the AP exam's go-to example of the anti-Catholic nativist movement described in KC-5.1.II.B, aimed at limiting immigrants' political power and cultural influence.
- The party rose by filling the gap left by the collapsing Whig Party during the breakdown of the Second Party System.
- It split along North-South lines over slavery, proving that sectionalism had become stronger than any other political issue by the mid-1850s.
- After the party's collapse, most Northern Know-Nothings joined the new Republican Party, helping it grow fast enough to win the presidency in 1860.
- Millard Fillmore ran as the American Party's presidential candidate in 1856, the party's last serious national effort.

## FAQs

### What was the Know-Nothing Party in APUSH?

It was the American Party, a nativist political party of the 1850s that wanted to limit the political power of immigrants, especially Irish and German Catholics. It rose as the Whig Party collapsed and fell apart when its Northern and Southern wings split over slavery.

### Why was it called the Know-Nothing Party?

The party grew out of secret nativist societies whose members were instructed to answer "I know nothing" when outsiders asked about the organization. The nickname stuck even after it became a public party.

### Was the Know-Nothing Party anti-slavery?

No, not as a party. The Know-Nothings were organized around opposing immigrants and Catholics, and they deliberately tried to avoid the slavery question. Individual Northern members were often anti-slavery, which is why so many of them left for the Republican Party after the party split.

### How is the Know-Nothing Party different from the Free-Soil Party?

The Free-Soil Party opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories, while the Know-Nothings opposed immigration and Catholic political influence. They were two different reactions to the chaos of the 1850s, and both eventually fed voters into the Republican coalition.

### Why did the Know-Nothing Party collapse?

Slavery destroyed it. After events like the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the party's Northern and Southern members could not stay united, and the 1856 election (with Millard Fillmore as its candidate) was its last real stand. Its quick death is strong APUSH evidence that sectional conflict overrode every other political issue.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.5 Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences](/apush/unit-5/sectional-conflict-before-civil-war/study-guide/Klx3eOhZBS11qtWKIvH2)

## Structured Data

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party#resource","name":"Know-Nothing Party — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-06-11T00:48:20.910Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"AP US History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party#term","name":"American Party (Know-Nothing Party)","description":"The American Party, nicknamed the Know-Nothing Party, was a nativist political party of the 1850s that sought to limit the political power and cultural influence of immigrants, especially Irish and German Catholics, before splintering over the slavery question.","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/american-party-know-nothing-party","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"AP US History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"},"educationalAlignment":[{"@type":"AlignmentObject","alignmentType":"educationalSubject","educationalFramework":"AP Course and Exam Description","targetName":"APUSH Unit 5, Topic 5.5, LO 5.5.A"},{"@type":"AlignmentObject","alignmentType":"educationalSubject","educationalFramework":"AP Course and Exam Description","targetName":"APUSH Unit 5, Topic 5.5, LO 5.5.B"}]},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What was the Know-Nothing Party in APUSH?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It was the American Party, a nativist political party of the 1850s that wanted to limit the political power of immigrants, especially Irish and German Catholics. It rose as the Whig Party collapsed and fell apart when its Northern and Southern wings split over slavery."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why was it called the Know-Nothing Party?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The party grew out of secret nativist societies whose members were instructed to answer \"I know nothing\" when outsiders asked about the organization. The nickname stuck even after it became a public party."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Was the Know-Nothing Party anti-slavery?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, not as a party. The Know-Nothings were organized around opposing immigrants and Catholics, and they deliberately tried to avoid the slavery question. Individual Northern members were often anti-slavery, which is why so many of them left for the Republican Party after the party split."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is the Know-Nothing Party different from the Free-Soil Party?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Free-Soil Party opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories, while the Know-Nothings opposed immigration and Catholic political influence. They were two different reactions to the chaos of the 1850s, and both eventually fed voters into the Republican coalition."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why did the Know-Nothing Party collapse?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Slavery destroyed it. After events like the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the party's Northern and Southern members could not stay united, and the 1856 election (with Millard Fillmore as its candidate) was its last real stand. Its quick death is strong APUSH evidence that sectional conflict overrode every other political issue."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"AP US History","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 5","item":"https://fiveable.me/apush/unit-5"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"American Party (Know-Nothing Party)"}]}]}
```