Know Nothing

{{Short description|1850s American nativist political party}} {{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}} {{use American English|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox political party | name = American Party | caption = ''Uncle Sam's youngest son, Citizen Know Nothing'', an 1854 print | seats1_title = Senate (1856) | seats1 = {{composition bar|5|66|hex={{party color|Know Nothing}}}} (peak) | seats2_title = House of Representatives (1854) | seats2 = {{composition bar|52|234|hex={{party color|Know Nothing}}}} (peak) | colorcode = {{party color|Know Nothing}} | lang1 = Other | name_lang1 = {{plainlist| * Native American Party (before 1855) * American Party (after 1855) }} | leader1_title = First Leader | leader1_name = Lewis Charles Levin | foundation = {{start date and age|1844}} | dissolution = {{end date and age|1860}} | merger = {{plainlist| * American Republican Party * Whig Party (elements) }} | predecessor = American Republican Party | successor = Constitutional Union Party | merged = {{plainlist| * Republican Party (free states) * Union Party (slave states)}} | headquarters = New York City | wing1_title = Secret wing | wing1 = Order of the Star Spangled Banner | ideology = {{plainlist| * Old Stock nativism * American nationalism * Anti-immigration * Anti-Catholicism (US) * Hibernophobia * Germanophobia * Cultural assimilationism<ref name="Anbinder 1992">{{cite book |last=Anbinder |first=Tyler |author-link=Tyler Anbinder |year=1992 |title=Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the Politics of the 1850s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBZxbQRA0JkC&pg=PA121 |location=New York, New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-507233-4 |page=121 |oclc=925224120 |via=Google Books}}</ref> * Right-wing populism<ref>{{cite web |last=Kazin |first=Michael |date=2016-03-22 |title=How Can Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Both Be 'Populist'? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/how-can-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-both-be-populist.html |website=The New York Times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322120248/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/how-can-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-both-be-populist.html |archive-date=2016-03-22 |access-date=2025-08-22}}</ref> }} | position = <!-- Do not label as "right wing", "far right", or other left–right position. The terms are not quite relevant to 1850s political discourse in the U.S. See Talk page and archives. --> | religion = Protestantism | flag = Digital Reproduction of the Know-Nothing Party Flag.jpg | colors = {{color box|#B22234|border=darkgray}} Red {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White {{color box|#3C3B6E|border=darkgray}} Blue<br />(American flag colors) | country = the United States }} The '''American Party''', known as the '''Native American Party''' before 1855{{efn|The Know Nothings used the name "Native American Party" generations before the indigenous peoples of the United States were commonly referred to as "Native Americans". As the membership of the party chiefly consisted of the descendants of colonists and did not include Native Americans, the term "native" in the name of the party refers to those who were brought up in the United States, as opposed to immigrants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Battle on the Ballot: Political Outsiders in US Presidential Elections |url=https://dp.la/exhibitions/outsiders-president-elections/anti-outsider-platforms/know-nothing-party-1856 |website=Digital Public Library of America |language=en}}</ref>}} and colloquially referred to as the '''Know Nothing''', '''Know-Nothings''', or the '''Know Nothing Party''', was an Old Stock nativist political movement in the United States from the 1840s through the 1850s. Members of the movement were required to say "I&nbsp;know nothing" whenever they were asked about its specifics by outsiders, providing the group with its colloquial name.<ref name="Boissoneault">{{cite web|last=Boissoneault|first=Lorraine|title=How the 19th-Century Know Nothing Party Reshaped American Politics|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/immigrants-conspiracies-and-secret-society-launched-american-nativism-180961915/|website=Smithsonian Magazine|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=2020-01-13}}</ref>

Supporters of the Know Nothing movement believed that an alleged "Romanist" conspiracy to subvert civil and religious liberty in the U.S. was being hatched by Catholics. Therefore, they sought to politically organize native-born Protestants in defense of their traditional religious and political values. The Know Nothing movement is remembered for this theme because Protestants feared that Catholic priests and bishops would control a large bloc of voters. In most places, the ideology and influence of the Know Nothing movement lasted only one or two years before it disintegrated due to weak and inexperienced local leaders, a lack of publicly proclaimed national leaders, and a deep split over the issue of slavery. In parts of the South, the party did not emphasize anti-Catholicism as frequently as it emphasized it in the North and it stressed a neutral position on slavery,<ref>{{cite thesis|title=No Foreign Despots on Southern Soil: The American Party in Alabama and South Carolina, 1850-1857|last=Farrell|first=Robert N.|publisher=University of Southern Mississippi|location=Hattiesburg, Mississippi|date=2017|type=MA|url=https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/283|access-date=2020-10-01}}</ref> but it became the main alternative to the dominant Democratic Party.<ref name="Boissoneault"/>

The Know Nothings supplemented their xenophobic nativist views with populist appeals. At the state level, the party was, in some cases, progressive in its stances on "issues of labor rights and the need for more government spending"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kierdorf |first1=Douglas |title=Getting to know the Know-Nothings |url=https://c.o0bg.com/ideas/2016/01/10/getting-know-know-nothings/yAojakXKkiauKCAzsf4WAL/story.html |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 10, 2016 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321161625/https://c.o0bg.com/ideas/2016/01/10/getting-know-know-nothings/yAojakXKkiauKCAzsf4WAL/story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and furnished "support for an expansion of the rights of women, the regulation of industry, and support of measures which were designed to improve the status of working people".<ref name="Taylor 2000"/>{{Attribution needed|date=October 2025}} It was a forerunner of the temperance movement in the U.S.<ref name="Boissoneault"/>

The Know Nothing movement briefly emerged as a major political party in the form of the American Party.<ref name="Boissoneault"/> The collapse of the Whig Party after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act left an opening for the emergence of a new major political party in opposition to the Democratic Party. The Know Nothing movement managed to elect congressman Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts and several other individuals into office in the 1854 elections, and it subsequently coalesced into a new political party which was known as the American Party. Particularly in the South, the American Party served as a vehicle for politicians who opposed the Democrats. Many of the American Party's members and supporters also hoped that it would stake out a middle ground between the pro-slavery positions of Democratic politicians and the radical anti-slavery positions of the rapidly emerging Republican Party. The American Party nominated former president Millard Fillmore in the 1856 presidential election, but he kept quiet about his membership in it and he personally refrained from supporting the Know Nothing movement's activities and ideology. Fillmore received 21.5% of the popular vote in the 1856 presidential election, finishing behind the Democratic and Republican nominees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/know-nothings-opposed-immigration-in-lincoln-s-day/article_504e1b70-3331-5640-9248-0fc62c866a39.html|title='Know Nothings' Opposed Immigration in Lincoln's Day|newspaper=The Pantagraph|date=January 17, 2016 |access-date=April 11, 2016 |last=Kemp|first=Bill}}</ref> Henry Winter Davis, an active Know-Nothing, was elected on the American Party ticket to Congress from Maryland. He told Congress that "un-American" Irish Catholic immigrants were to blame for the recent election of Democrat James Buchanan as president, stating:<ref>{{cite book |first=James Fairfax |last=McLaughlin |title=The Life and Times of John Kelly, Tribune of the People |year=1885 |location=New York City |publisher=The American News Company |pages=72–73 |url=https://archive.org/details/lifetimesofjohnk00mclauoft/page/73/mode/1up |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><blockquote> The recent election has developed in an aggravated form every evil against which the American party protested. Foreign allies have decided the government of the country – men naturalized in thousands on the eve of the election. Again in the fierce struggle for supremacy, men have forgotten the ban which the Republic puts on the intrusion of religious influence on the political arena. These influences have brought vast multitudes of foreign-born citizens to the polls, ignorant of American interests, without American feelings, influenced by foreign sympathies, to vote on American affairs; and those votes have, in point of fact, accomplished the present result.</blockquote>

The party entered a period of rapid decline after Fillmore's loss. In 1857 the ''Dred Scott v. Sandford'' pro-slavery decision of the U.S. Supreme Court further galvanized opposition to slavery in the North, causing many former Know Nothings to join the Republicans.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=270}} The remnants of the American Party largely joined the Constitutional Union Party in 1860 and they disappeared during the American Civil War.

== History == thumb|left|''Uncle Sam's youngest son, Citizen Know Nothing'', an 1854 print Anti-Catholicism was widespread in colonial America, but it played a minor role in American politics until the arrival of large numbers of Irish and German Catholics surged in the 1840s.<ref> Jay P. Dolan, ''The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial times to the Present'' (1985) pp.128-131.</ref> It then emerged in nativist attacks.{{Clarify|reason=Attacks by whom vs. whom?|date=October 2025}} It appeared in New York City politics as early as 1843 under the banner of the American Republican Party.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Ira M. |last=Leonard |title=The Rise and Fall of the American Republican Party in New York City, 1843–1845 |journal=New-York Historical Society Quarterly |volume=50 |number=2 |date=April 1966 |pages=151–92 |url=https://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A12434#page/1/mode/2up |access-date=2023-04-25 |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425162643/https://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/islandora:12434#page/1/mode/2up |url-status=dead }}</ref> The movement quickly spread to nearby states using that name or Native American Party or variants of it. They succeeded in a number of local and Congressional elections, notably in 1844 in Philadelphia, where the anti-Catholic orator Lewis Charles Levin was elected Representative from Pennsylvania's 1st district. In the early 1850s, numerous secret orders grew up, of which the Order of United Americans<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Scisco |first=Louis Dow |title=Political Nativism in New York State |year=1901 |type=PhD |location=New York, New York |publisher=Columbia University |url=https://archive.org/details/politicalnativi01scisgoog |page=267 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> and the Order of the Star Spangled Banner<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Know Nothing Party |volume=15 |page=877}}</ref> came to be the most important. They emerged in New York in the early 1850s as a secret order that quickly spread across the North, reaching non-Catholics, particularly those who were lower middle class or skilled workers.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor=2675102 |title=Conservatism, Nativism, and Slavery: Thomas R. Whitney and the Origins of the Know-Nothing Party |journal=The Journal of American History |volume=88 |issue=2 |pages=455–488 |last=Levine |first=Bruce |year=2001 |doi=10.2307/2675102}}</ref>

The name ''Know Nothing'' originated in the semi-secret organization of the party. When a member of the party was asked about his activities, he was supposed to say, "I know nothing." Outsiders derisively called the party's members "Know Nothings", and the name stuck. In 1855, the Know Nothings first entered politics under the American Party label.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilentz |first=Sean |title=The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln |date=2005 |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |isbn=0-393-05820-4 |edition=1st |location=New York, New York |oclc=57414581 |author-link=Sean Wilentz |pages=681–2, 693}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Billington |first=Ray A. |title=The Protestant Crusade, 1800–1860: A Study of the Origins of American Nativism |date=1938 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.214564 |via=Internet Archive |location=Chicago, Illinois |publisher=Quadrangle Books |pages=337, 380–406}}</ref>

=== Underlying issues === The immigration of large numbers of Irish and German Catholics to the United States in the period between 1840 and 1860 made religious differences between Catholics and Protestants a political issue. Violence occasionally erupted at the polls. Protestants alleged that Pope Pius IX had contributed to the failure of the liberal Revolutions of 1848 in Europe and they also alleged that he was an enemy of liberty and democracy. One Boston minister described Catholicism as "the ally of tyranny, the opponent of material prosperity, the foe of thrift, the enemy of the railroad, the caucus, and the school".{{sfnp|Billington|1938|p=242}}<ref>{{cite book |first=John T. |last=McGreevey |title=Catholicism and American Freedom: A History |year=2003 |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |location=New York, New York |pages=22–5, 34 (quotation) |isbn=0-393-04760-1}}</ref> These fears encouraged conspiracy theories regarding papal intentions of subjugating the U.S. through a continuing influx of Catholics controlled by Irish bishops obedient to and personally selected by the Pope.

thumb|1850s political cartoon by John H. Goater: Irish and German caricatures "stealing an election" with chaos at the "Election Day Polls" site, fueling fears of immigrant political power

In 1849, an oath-bound secret society, the Order of the Star Spangled Banner, was founded by Charles B. Allen in New York City. At its inception, the Order of the Star Spangled Banner only had about 36 members. Fear of Catholic immigration caused some Protestants to become dissatisfied with the Democratic Party, whose leaders included Catholics of Irish descent in many cities. Activists formed secret groups, coordinating their votes and throwing their weight behind candidates who were sympathetic to their cause: {{Blockquote|Immigration during the first five years of the 1850s reached a level five times greater than a decade earlier. Most of the new arrivals were poor Catholic peasants or laborers from Ireland and Germany who crowded the tenements of large cities. Crime and welfare costs soared. Cincinnati's crime rate, for example, tripled between 1846 and 1853 and its murder rate increased sevenfold. Boston's expenditures for poor relief rose threefold during the same period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McPherson |first=James M. |author-link=James M. McPherson |title=Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era |date=1988 |isbn=0-19-503863-0 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |page=131 |oclc=15550774}}</ref>}}

Unlike later antisemitic nativist groups in the U.S., and despite their zealous xenophobia and religious bigotry, the Know Nothings did not focus their ire on Jews or Judaism.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=120}} Prioritizing a zealous disdain for Irish, German and French Catholic immigrants, the Know Nothing Party "had nothing to say about Jews", according to historian Hasia Diner,<ref>{{cite book |last=Diner |first=Hasia R. |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O7IwDwAAQBAJ&dq=know+nothings+jews&pg=PA158 |title=The Jews of the United States, 1654 to 2000 |page=158 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24848-9 |access-date=2022-02-09 |via=Google Books}}</ref> reportedly because its backers believed Jews, unlike Catholics, did not allow "their religious feelings to interfere with their political views."{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=120}} In New York, the party supported a Jewish candidate for governor, Daniel Ullman, in 1854.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rabinowitz |first=Howard N. |date=March 1988 |title=Nativism, Bigotry and Anti-Semitism in the South |journal=American Jewish History |volume=77 |issue=3 |pages=437–451 |jstor=23883316}}</ref> Lewis Charles Levin was Jewish.

=== Rise === In the spring of 1854, the Know Nothings carried Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, and other New England cities. They swept the state of Massachusetts in the fall 1854 elections, their biggest victory. The Whig candidate for mayor of Philadelphia, editor Robert T. Conrad, was soon revealed as a Know Nothing as he promised to crack down on crime, close saloons on Sundays and only appoint native-born Americans to office—he won the election by a landslide. In Washington, D.C., Know Nothing candidate John T. Towers defeated incumbent Mayor John Walker Maury, triggering opposition of such a high proportion that the Democrats, Whigs, and Freesoilers in the capital united as the "Anti-Know-Nothing Party". In New York, where James Harper had been elected mayor of New York City as an American Republican almost a decade before, the Know Nothing candidate Daniel Ullman came in third in a four-way race for governor by gathering 26% of the vote. After the 1854 elections, they exerted a large amount of political influence in Maine, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and California, but historians are unsure about the accuracy of this information due to the secrecy of the party, because all parties were in turmoil and the anti-slavery and prohibition issues overlapped with nativism in complex and confusing ways. They helped elect Stephen Palfrey Webb as mayor of San Francisco and they also helped elect J. Neely Johnson as governor of California. Nathaniel P. Banks was elected to Congress as a Know Nothing candidate, but after a few months he aligned with Republicans. A coalition of Know Nothings, Republicans and other members of Congress opposed to the Democratic Party elected Banks to the position of Speaker of the House.

The results of the 1854 elections were so favorable to the Know Nothings, up to then an informal movement with no centralized organization, that they formed officially as a political party called the American Party, which attracted many members of the by then nearly defunct Whig party as well as a significant number of Democrats. Membership in the American Party increased dramatically, from 50,000 to an estimated one million plus in a matter of months during that year.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|pp=75–102}}

The historian Tyler Anbinder concluded: {{blockquote|The key to Know Nothing success in 1854 was the collapse of the second party system, brought about primarily by the demise of the Whig Party. The Whig Party, weakened for years by internal dissent and chronic factionalism, was nearly destroyed by the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Growing anti-party sentiment, fueled by anti-slavery sentiment as well as temperance and nativism, also contributed to the disintegration of the party system. The collapsing second party system gave the Know Nothings a much larger pool of potential converts than was available to previous nativist organizations, allowing the Order to succeed where older nativist groups had failed.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=95}} }}

In San Francisco, a Know Nothing chapter was founded in 1854 to oppose Chinese immigration—members included a judge of the state supreme court, who ruled that no Chinese person could testify as a witness against a white man in court.<ref>{{Cite book |last=LeMay |first=Michael C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KxW_BKtCjqkC&pg=PT150 |title=Transforming America: Perspectives on U.S. Immigration. Volume 1, The Making of a Nation of Nations: The Founding to 1865 |publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-313-39644-1 |location=Santa Barbara, California |page=150 |oclc=828743108}}</ref> The Know Nothing party tried passing multiple bills in Congress that would hinder the acceptance of certain immigrants into the U.S., but the laws were never passed since the party was slowly declining during 1855.{{cn|date=December 2025}}

In the ''Know Nothing Platform'', an 1855 anonymous anti-Catholic book, the self-described Know-Nothing author argued for restricting the political rights of Irish immigrants. The book compared the United States to a business, asserting that just as a firm would not admit someone “totally ignorant of its principles,” immigrants should not be entrusted with voting or governance: {{blockquote|And is it to be supposed that an ignorant, bog-trotting Irishman, who after years of instruction, can scarcely be taught to shoe a horse—the moment he is imported from Ireland, under the auspices of Archbishop Hughes, to be put up for sale, to the highest bid of profligate politicians—is competent to understand and control, for the good of the community, our complicated system of government and policy?<ref>{{cite book|title=Know Nothing Platform: containing an account of the encroachments of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, on the civil and religious liberties of people in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, showing the necessity of the Order of Know Nothings. With a valuable and interesting appendix.|author=A Know Nothing|publisher=The Author|location=Philadlephia, Pennsylvania|year=1855|page=39}}</ref>}}

[[File:Fillmore2.JPG|thumb|upright|Fillmore–Donelson campaign poster]] In the spring of 1855, Know Nothing candidate Levi Boone was elected mayor of Chicago and barred all immigrants from city jobs. Abraham Lincoln was strongly opposed to the principles of the Know Nothing movement, but did not denounce it publicly because he needed the votes of its membership to form a successful anti-slavery coalition in Illinois.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Richard Lawrence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0pLMk1BLNAC&pg=PA63 |title=Lincoln and His World. Vol. 4, The Path to the Presidency, 1854–1860 |publisher=Mcfarland & Company Inc. |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7864-8812-4 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |pages=63–64 |oclc=775680836}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/knownothingparty.htm |last=Lincoln |first=Abraham |date=1855-08-24 |title=Lincoln on the Know Nothing Party (Letter to Joshua F. Speed) |website=Lincoln Home National Historic Site, U.S. National Park Service |language=en |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> Ohio was the only state where the party gained strength in 1855. Their Ohio success seems to have come from winning over immigrants, especially German-American Lutherans and Scots-Irish Presbyterians, both hostile to Catholicism. In Alabama, Know Nothings were a mix of former Whigs, discontented Democrats and other political outsiders who favored state aid to build more railroads. Virginia attracted national attention in its tempestuous 1855 gubernatorial election. Democrat Henry Alexander Wise won by convincing state voters that Know Nothings were in bed with Northern abolitionists. With the victory by Wise, the movement began to collapse in the South.<ref>Allan Nevins, ''Ordeal of the Union: A House Dividing 1852–1857'' (1947) 2:396–8.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=John David |last=Bladek |title='Virginia Is Middle Ground': The Know Nothing Party and the Virginia Gubernatorial Election of 1855 |journal=Virginia Magazine of History and Biography |date=1998 |volume=106 |issue=1 |pages=35–70 |jstor=4249690}}.</ref>

Know Nothings scored victories in Northern state elections in 1854, winning control of the legislature in Massachusetts and polling 40% of the vote in Pennsylvania. Although most of the new immigrants lived in the North, resentment and anger against them was national and the American Party initially polled well in the South, attracting the votes of many former southern Whigs.<ref name="Carey1995" />

The party name gained wide, but brief, popularity: Know Nothing candy, tea, and toothpicks appeared, and the name was given to stagecoaches, buses, and ships.<ref>{{cite book |first=David Harry |last=Bennett |title=The Party of Fear: From Nativist Movements to the New Right in American History |year=1988 |publisher=UNC Press Books |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |isbn=0-8078-1772-4 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mH_zVWsUzlUC&pg=PA115}}</ref> In Trescott, Maine, a shipowner dubbed his new 700-ton freighter ''Know-Nothing.''<ref>{{cite news |title=Launches in the United States for the Past Month |author=<!--no byline--> |work=The Monthly Nautical Magazine and Quarterly Commercial Review |date=November 1854 |volume=I |issue=2 |page=140 |url=https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/monthlynauti118541855newy |via=Smithsonian Libraries}}</ref> The party was occasionally referred to, contemporaneously, in a slightly pejorative shortening, "Knism".<ref>{{cite journal |first=William E. |last=Gienapp |title=Salmon P. Chase, Nativism, and the Formation of the Republican Party in Ohio |pages=22, 24 |journal=Ohio History |volume=93 |url=https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/browse/displaypages.php?display[]=0093&display[]=5&display[]=39 |access-date=2023-04-25}}</ref>

=== Leadership and legislation === Historian John Mulkern has examined the party's success in sweeping to almost complete control of the Massachusetts legislature after its 1854 landslide victory. He finds the new party was populist and highly democratic, hostile to wealth, elites and to expertise, and deeply suspicious of outsiders, especially Catholics. The new party's voters were concentrated in the rapidly growing industrial towns, where Yankee workers faced direct competition with new Irish immigrants. Whereas the Whig Party was strongest in high income districts, the Know Nothing electorate was strongest in the poor districts. They expelled the traditional upper-class, closed, political leadership, especially the lawyers and merchants. In their stead, they elected working-class men, farmers and a large number of teachers and ministers. Replacing the moneyed elite were men who seldom owned $10,000 in property.<ref>{{cite book |first=John R. |last=Mulkern |title=The Know-Nothing Party in Massachusetts: The Rise and Fall of a People's Movement |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KyISxp0yfG0C&pg=PA86 |year=1990 |publisher=University Press of New England |location=Lebanon, New Hampshire |pages=74–89 |isbn=978-1-55553-071-6}}</ref>

Nationally, the new party leadership showed incomes, occupation, and social status that were about average. Few were wealthy, according to detailed historical studies of once-secret membership rosters. Fewer than 10% were unskilled workers who might come in direct competition with Irish laborers. They enlisted few farmers, but on the other hand they included many merchants and factory owners.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|pp=34–43}} The party's voters were by no means all native-born Americans, for it won more than a fourth of the German and British Protestants in numerous state elections. It especially appealed to Protestants such as the Lutherans, Dutch Reformed and Presbyterians.<ref>{{cite book |first=William E. |last=Gienapp |title=Origins of the Republican Party 1852–1856 |year=1987 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, New York |isbn=0-19-504100-3 |pages=538–542 }}</ref>

=== Violence === {{Main|Know-Nothing Riots in United States politics}} thumb|250px|An 1855 Ohio Know Nothing Party ticket naming party candidates for state and county offices. At the bottom of the page are voting instructions. Fearful that Catholics were flooding the polls with non-citizens, local activists threatened to stop them. On August 6, 1855, rioting broke out in Louisville, Kentucky, during a hotly contested race for the office of governor. Twenty-two were killed and many injured. This "Bloody Monday" riot was not the only violent riot by Know Nothings against Catholics in 1855.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Charles E. |last=Deusner |title=The Know Nothing Riots in Louisville |journal=Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |volume=61 |issue=2 |date=April 1963 |pages=122–47 |jstor=23375884}}</ref> In Baltimore, the mayoral elections of 1856, 1857 and 1858 were all marred by violence and well-founded accusations of ballot-rigging by the Know Nothings.<ref name="Tuska1925">{{cite journal |last=Tuska |first=Benjamin R. |title=Know-Nothingism in Baltimore 1854–1860 |journal=The Catholic Historical Review |date=1925 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=217–251 |jstor=25012185 |issn=0008-8080}}</ref> In the coastal town of Ellsworth, Maine, in 1854, Know Nothings were associated with the tarring and feathering of the Jesuit priest Johannes Bapst. They also burned down a Catholic church in Bath, Maine.<ref>{{cite book |title=Maine: A History |volume=1 |year=1919 |publisher=The American Historical Society |location=New York, New York |editor-last=Hatch |editor-first=Louis Clinton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sg0hAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA304 |via=Google Books |access-date=2023-04-25}}</ref>

===New England=== ====Massachusetts==== The most aggressive and innovative legislation came out of Massachusetts, where the new party controlled all but three of the 400 seats—only 35 had any previous legislative experience. The Massachusetts legislature in 1855 passed a series of reforms that "burst the dam against change erected by party politics, and released a flood of reforms".<ref>{{cite book |first=Ronald P. |last=Formisano |title=The Transformation of Political Culture: Massachusetts Parties, 1790s–1840s |url=https://archive.org/details/transformationof0000form |url-access=registration |year=1983 |page=[https://archive.org/details/transformationof0000form/page/332 332] |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-503124-9 }}</ref> The period from 1854 to 1857 saw among Massachusetts Know Nothings a decline in the traditional nativist wing of the party and the rise of the group of abolitionists and reformers, including former Massachusetts Senate President Henry Wilson, looking to redirect the focus of the party.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ruchames |first=Louis |date=1952 |title=The Abolitionists and the Jews |journal=Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society |volume=42 |issue=2 |page=138 |issn=0146-5511 |jstor=43057515}}</ref> Historian Stephen Taylor says that in addition to nativist legislation, "the party also distinguished itself by its opposition to slavery, support for an expansion of the rights of women, regulation of industry, and support of measures designed to improve the status of working people".<ref name="Taylor 2000">{{cite journal |first=Stephen |last=Taylor |title=Progressive Nativism: The Know-Nothing Party in Massachusetts |journal=Historical Journal of Massachusetts |year=2000 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=167–84 |url=https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Taylor-summer-2000-combined.pdf}}</ref>

It passed legislation to regulate railroads, insurance companies and public utilities. It funded free textbooks for the public schools and raised the appropriations for local libraries and for the school for the blind. Purification of Massachusetts against divisive social evils was a high priority. The legislature set up the state's first reform school for juvenile delinquents while trying to block the importation of supposedly subversive government documents and academic books from Europe. It upgraded the legal status of wives, giving them more property rights and more rights in divorce courts. It passed harsh penalties on speakeasies, gambling houses and bordellos. It passed prohibition legislation with penalties that were so stiff—such as six months in prison for serving one glass of beer—that juries refused to convict defendants. Many of the reforms were quite expensive; state spending rose 45% on top of a 50% hike in annual taxes on cities and towns. This extravagance angered the taxpayers, and few Know Nothings were reelected.{{sfnp|Taylor|2000|pp=171–172}} These successes at enacting reform legislation came at the expense of the traditional nativist priorities of the party, causing some national Know Nothing leaders, like Samuel Morse, to question the Massachusetts party's aims.{{sfnp|Ruchames|1952|p=139}}

The Massachusetts Know Nothings did advance attacks on the civil rights of Irish Catholic immigrants. After this, state courts lost the power to process applications for citizenship and public schools had to require compulsory daily reading of the Protestant Bible (which the nativists were sure would transform the Catholic children). The governor disbanded the Irish militias and replaced Irish holding state jobs with Protestants. However, Know Nothing lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass a state constitutional amendment to restrict voting and office holding to men who had resided in Massachusetts for at least 21 years. The legislature then called on Congress to raise the requirement for naturalization from five years to 21 years, but Congress never acted.{{sfnp|Mulkern|1990|pp=101–102}} The most dramatic move by the Know Nothing legislature was to appoint an investigating committee designed to prove widespread sexual immorality underway in Catholic convents. The press had a field day following the story, especially when it was discovered that the key reformer was using committee funds to pay for a prostitute. The legislature shut down its committee, ejected the reformer, and saw its investigation become a laughing stock.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=137}}<ref>{{cite journal |first=John R. |last=Mulkern |title=Scandal Behind the Convent Walls: The Know-Nothing Nunnery Committee of 1855 |journal=Historical Journal of Massachusetts |volume=11 |number=1 |year=1983 |pages=22–34 |url=https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Mulkern-combined.pdf |access-date=2023-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Mary J. |last=Oates |title='Lowell': An Account of Convent Life in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1852–1890 |journal=New England Quarterly |volume=61 |issue=1 |year=1988 |pages=101–18 |jstor=365222 |doi=10.2307/365222}} (Discusses the actual behavior of the Catholic nuns.)</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=History of the Archdiocese of Boston in the Various Stages of Development, 1604 to 1943 |volume=2 |last1=Lord |first1=Robert Howard |last2= Harrington |first2=Edward T. |last3=Sexton |first3=John E. |name-list-style=amp |year=1945 |location=Boston |publisher=The Pilot Publishing Co. |pages=686–99 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000077451536&view=1up&seq=703 |access-date=2023-04-25 |via=HathiTrust}}</ref>

====New Hampshire and Rhode Island==== The Know Nothings scored a landslide in New Hampshire in 1855. They won 51% of the vote, including 94% of the anti-slavery Free Soilers, and 79% of the Whigs, plus 15% of Democrats and 24% of those who abstained in the previous election for governor the year before.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Renda |first=Lex |title=Running on the Record: Civil War-Era Politics in New Hampshire |publisher=University Press of Virginia |year=1997 |isbn=0-8139-1722-0 |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |pages=54, 211, Table 15 |oclc=36065963}}</ref> In full control of the legislature, the Know Nothings enacted their entire agenda. According to Lex Renda, they battled traditionalism and promoted rapid modernization. They extended the waiting period for citizenship to slow down the growth of Irish power; they reformed the state courts. They expanded the number and power of banks; they strengthened corporations; they defeated a proposed 10-hour workday law. They reformed the tax system, increased state spending on public schools, set up a system to build high schools, prohibited the sale of liquor, and denounced the expansion of slavery in the western territories.{{sfnp|Renda|1997|pp=33-57}}

The Whigs and Free Soil parties both collapsed in New Hampshire in 1854–55. In the 1855 fall elections the Know Nothings again swept New Hampshire against the Democrats and the small new Republican party. When the Know Nothing "American Party" collapsed in 1856 and merged with the Republicans, New Hampshire now had a two party system with the Republicans edging out the Democrats.{{sfnp|Renda|1997|pp=55, 58, 212}}

The Know Nothings also dominated politics in Rhode Island, where in 1855 William W. Hoppin held the governorship and five out of every seven votes went to the party, which dominated the Rhode Island legislature.<ref name="McLoughlin">{{cite book |last1=McLoughlin |first1=William G. |title=Rhode Island: A History |date=1986 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |location=New York, New York |isbn=0-393-30271-7 |pages=141–142}}</ref> Local newspapers such as ''The Providence Journal'' fueled anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment.<ref name="McLoughlin"/>

=== South === In the Southern U.S., the American Party was composed chiefly of ex-Whigs looking for a vehicle to fight the dominant Democratic Party and worried about both the pro-slavery extremism of the Democrats and the emergence of the anti-slavery Republican party in the North.<ref name="Carey1995">{{cite journal|last1=Carey|first1=Anthony Gene|title=Too Southern to Be Americans: Proslavery Politics and the Failure of the Know-Nothing Party in Georgia, 1854–1856|journal=Civil War History|volume=41|issue=1|year=1995|pages=22–40|issn=1533-6271|doi=10.1353/cwh.1995.0023|s2cid=144295708 }}</ref> In the South as a whole, the American Party was strongest among former Unionist Whigs. States-rightist Whigs shunned it, enabling the Democrats to win most of the South. Whigs supported the American Party because of their desire to defeat the Democrats, their unionist sentiment, their anti-immigrant attitudes, and their neutrality on the slavery issue.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Some Determinants of Know-Nothing Electoral Strength in the South, 1856|journal=Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association |year=1966 |last=Broussard |first=James H. |volume=7|issue=1|pages=5–20|jstor=4230880}}</ref>

David T. Gleeson notes that many Irish Catholics in the South feared that the arrival of the Know-Nothing movement portended a serious threat. He argues: <blockquote>The southern Irish, who had seen the dangers of Protestant bigotry in Ireland, had the distinct feeling that the Know-Nothings were an American manifestation of that phenomenon. Every migrant, no matter how settled or prosperous, also worried that this virulent strain of nativism threatened his or her hard-earned gains in the South and integration into its society. Immigrants fears were unjustified, however, because the national debate over slavery and its expansion, not nativism or anti-Catholicism, was the major reason for Know-Nothing success in the South. The southerners who supported the Know-Nothings did so, for the most part, because they thought the Democrats who favored the expansion of slavery might break up the Union.<ref>{{cite book |first=David T. |last=Gleeson |title=The Irish in the South, 1815–1877 |year=2001 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |isbn=978-0-8078-4968-2 |page=78}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1855, the American Party challenged the Democrats' dominance. In Alabama, the Know Nothings were a mix of former Whigs, malcontented Democrats and other political misfits; they favored state aid to build more railroads. In the fierce campaign, the Democrats argued that Know Nothings could not protect slavery from Northern abolitionists. The Know Nothing American Party disintegrated soon after losing in 1855.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Unintended Consequences: The Rise and Fall of the Know-Nothing Party in Alabama |journal=Alabama Review |year=2002 |last=Frederick |first=Jeff|volume=55|issue=1|pages=3–33 |url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5569301/unintended-consequences-rise-fall-know-nothing-party-alabama|access-date=2017-01-23}}{{dead link|date=November 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In Virginia, the Know Nothing movement came under sharp attack from both established parties. Democrats published a 12,000-word, point-by-point denunciation of Know Nothingism. The Democrats nominated ex-Whig Henry A. Wise for governor. He denounced the "lousy, godless, Christless" Know Nothings and instead he advocated an expanded program of internal improvements.{{sfnp|Bladek|1998|p=45}}<ref>{{cite journal |first=Philip Morrison |last=Rice |title=The Know-Nothing Party in Virginia, 1854–1856 |journal=Virginia Magazine of History and Biography |date=1947 |volume=55 |issue=1 |page=66 |jstor=245457}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Philip Morrison |last=Rice |title=The Know-Nothing Party in Virginia, 1854–1856 (Concluded) |journal=Virginia Magazine of History and Biography |volume=55 |issue=2 |date=1947 |pages=159–167 |jstor=4245471}}</ref>

In Maryland, growing anti-immigrant sentiment fueled the party's rise.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baker |first= Jean H. |date=1977 |title=Ambivalent Americans: The Know-Nothing Party in Maryland|publisher= Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn= 0-8018-1906-7}}</ref> Despite the state's Catholic roots, by the 1850s about 60 percent of the population was Protestant and open to the Know Nothing's anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant appeal. On August 18, 1853, the party held its first rally in Baltimore with about 5,000 in attendance, calling for secularization of public schools, complete separation of church and state, freedom of speech, and regulating immigration.<ref name="Tuska1925"/> The first Know-Nothing candidate elected into office in Baltimore was Mayor Samuel Hinks in 1855. The following year, ethnic and secular conflicts fueled riots around municipal and federal elections in Maryland with Know-Nothing–affiliated gangs clashing with Democratic-aligned gangs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Melton |first=Tracy Matthew |date=2005 |title=Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854–1860 |publisher=The Maryland Center for History and Culture |location=Baltimore, Maryland |doi=10.56021/9780938420941 |isbn=978-0-938420-94-1}}</ref>

Historian Michael F. Holt argues that "Know Nothingism originally grew in the South for the same reasons it spread in the North—nativism, anti-Catholicism, and animosity toward unresponsive politicos—not because of conservative Unionism". Holt cites William B. Campbell, former governor of Tennessee, who wrote in January 1855: "I have been astonished at the widespread feeling in favor of their principles—to wit, Native Americanism and anti-Catholicism—it takes everywhere".<ref name="Holt2003">{{cite book|last=Holt|first=Michael F.|title=The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aGyVFn3VnMC|year=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, New York|isbn=978-0-19-516104-5|page=856}}</ref> Despite this, in Louisiana and Maryland, prominent Know Nothings remained loyal to the Union. In Maryland, American Party's former governor and later senator Thomas Holliday Hicks, Representative Henry Winter Davis, and Senator Anthony Kennedy, along with his brother, former Representative John Pendleton Kennedy, all supported the Union in a border state. Louisiana Know Nothing congressman John Edward Bouligny, a Catholic Creole, was the only member of the Louisiana congressional delegation who refused to resign his seat after the state seceded from the Union.<ref>{{cite speech |title=Feb. 5, 1861: Secession of Louisiana |first=John Edward |last=Bouligny |event=Speech in the House of Representatives |location=Washington, D.C. |date=1861-02-05 |url=https://www.hnoc.org/programs/documents/LessonPlan_CivilWar.pdf |access-date=2017-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202023424/https://www.hnoc.org/programs/documents/LessonPlan_CivilWar.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-02}}</ref>

==== Louisiana ==== Despite the national American Party's anti-Catholicism, the Know Nothings found strong support in Louisiana, including in largely Catholic New Orleans.<ref>{{cite thesis|title=A Glorious Assemblage: The Rise of the Know-Nothing Party in Louisiana|last=Hall|first=Ryan M.|type=MA|date=2015|publisher=Louisiana State University|location=Baton Rouge, Louisiana|url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2251&context=gradschool_theses|access-date=2020-08-04}}</ref>{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=167}} The Whig Party in Louisiana had a strong anti-immigrant bent, making the Native American Party the natural home for Louisiana's former Whigs.<ref name="Tarver1964">{{cite thesis|title=A Rhetorical Analysis of Selected Ante-Bellum Speeches by Randell Hunt|last=Tarver|first=Jerry L.|date=1964|publisher=Louisiana State University|location=Baton Rouge, Louisiana|type=PhD|url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/960/|access-date=2020-10-20}}</ref> Louisiana Know Nothings were pro-slavery and anti-immigrant, but, in contrast to the national party, refused to include a religious test for membership.<ref>{{cite web|title=American Convention|author=<!--no byline-->|date=September 5, 1855|work=The South-Western|location=Shreveport, Louisiana|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61455597/louisiana-branch-of-the-american-party/|access-date=2020-10-20|quote=That while we resist all encroachments of spiritual power upon our political rights, we disclaim the calumnious charge of our own opponents that we require a religious test to qualify native born citizens to hold office or enjoy the full rights of citizenship.}}</ref> Instead, the Louisiana Know Nothings insisted that "loyalty to a church should not supersede loyalty to the Union."<ref name="Tarver1964" /> Similarly, the broader Know Nothing movement viewed Louisiana Catholics, and in particular the Creole elite who supported the American Party, as adhering to a Gallican Catholicism and therefore opposed to papal authority over matters of state.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carriere |first=Marius M. Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y35aDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT54 |title=The Know Nothings in Louisiana |date=2018 |publisher=University of Mississippi Press |isbn=978-1-4968-1688-7 |location=Jackson, Mississippi |page=46 |oclc=1021063970 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

=== Decline === thumb|250px|Results by county indicating the percentage for Fillmore in each county The party declined rapidly in the North after 1855, in part due to the party's rejection of a clear anti-slavery platform. During the presidential election of 1856, the party was bitterly divided over slavery. The main faction supported the ticket of presidential nominee Millard Fillmore and vice presidential nominee Andrew Jackson Donelson. In Massachusetts, for example, the American Party ran Republican candidate John C. Frémont as its presidential nominee.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Levine |first=Bruce |date=2001 |title=Conservatism, Nativism, and Slavery: Thomas R. Whitney and the Origins of the Know-Nothing Party |url=https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-lookup/doi/10.2307/2675102 |journal=The Journal of American History |volume=88 |issue=2 |page=484 |doi=10.2307/2675102 |jstor= 2675102 |access-date=2023-04-05|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Fillmore, a former president, had been a Whig and Donelson was the nephew of Democratic President Andrew Jackson, so the ticket was designed to appeal to loyalists from both major parties, winning 23% of the popular vote and carrying one state, Maryland, with eight electoral votes. Fillmore did not win enough votes to block Democrat James Buchanan from the White House.

Many were appalled by the Know Nothings. While Abraham Lincoln never publicly attacked the Know Nothings, whose votes he needed, he expressed his own disgust with the political party in a private letter to Joshua Speed, written August 24, 1855:

{{blockquote|I am not a Know-Nothing– That is certain– How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid– As a nation, we began by declaring that "<u>all men are created equal</u>" We now practically read it "all men are created equal, <u>except negroes</u>." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, <u>and foreigners</u>, <u>and catholics</u>". When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence {{sic}} of loving liberty– to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy– {{sic}}<ref>{{cite archive |first= Abraham |last= Lincoln |item= Letter to Joshua F. Speed, August 24, 1855 |item-url= https://papersofabrahamlincoln.org/documents/D200860b |type= |item-id= |date= 1855-08-24 |page=8 |fonds= |series= |file= |box= |collection= Papers of Abraham Lincoln Digital Library |collection-url= https://papersofabrahamlincoln.org/ |repository= |institution= Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library |location= Springfield, Illinois }} (Note: [https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=456&mode=large&img_step=8&pid=3&ft=Object%20of%20the%20Month&nodesc=1#page8 Original manuscript] held by Massachusetts Historical Society.)</ref>}}

Historian Allan Nevins, writing about the turmoil preceding the American Civil War, states that Millard Fillmore was never a Know Nothing nor a nativist. Fillmore was out of the country when the presidential nomination came and had not been consulted about running. Nevins further states: {{blockquote|[Fillmore] was not a member of the party; he had never attended an American [Know-Nothing] gathering. By no spoken or written word had he indicated a subscription to American [Party] tenets.<ref>{{cite book |first=Allan |last=Nevins |author-link=Allan Nevins |title=Ordeal of the Union: A House Dividing 1852–1857 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York City, New York |year=1947 |volume=2 |page=467}}</ref>}}

However, Fillmore had sent a letter for publication in 1855 that explicitly denounced immigrant influence in elections<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Elbert B. |author-link=Elbert B. Smith |title=The Presidencies of Zachary Taylor & Millard Fillmore |publisher=University Press of Kansas |year=1988 |series=The American Presidency |isbn=978-0-7006-0362-6 |pages=252–253 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780700603626}}</ref> and Fillmore stated that the American Party was the "only hope of forming a truly national party, which shall ignore this constant and distracting agitation of slavery."<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Fillmore, Millard (1800–1874), thirteenth president of the United States |encyclopedia=American National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0400374 |last=Anbinder |first=Tyler |author-link=Tyler Anbinder |date=2000 |volume=1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400374 |isbn=978-0-19-860669-7|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

After the Supreme Court's controversial ''Dred Scott v. Sandford'' ruling in 1857, most of the anti-slavery members of the American Party joined the Republican Party. The pro-slavery wing of the American Party remained strong on the local and state levels in a few southern states, but by the 1860 election they were no longer a serious national political movement. Most of their remaining members supported the Constitutional Union Party in 1860.{{sfnp|Anbinder|1992|p=270}}

== Electoral results == === Federal elections === {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size:88%;" |+ |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! colspan="13" | U.S. Presidency |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! Year ! colspan="2" | Nominee ! colspan="2" | Running-mate ! # votes ! % votes<br><small>(Nationally)</small> ! % votes<br><small>(Where Balloted)</small> ! Electoral votes ! Place ! rowspan=10 | ! Performance Map ! rowspan=10 | |- !1848 |100px |Zachary Taylor |100px |Henry A.S. Dearborn | colspan=5 style="width: 345pt;" | Withdrew endorsement of Zachary Taylor and Henry Dearborn after Taylor's nomination at the 1848 Whig National Convention |- ! colspan="12" | |- !1852 |100px |Jacob Broom{{efn|Replacing Daniel Webster; Webster had died on October 24th.}} |100px |Reynell Coates{{efn|Replacing George C. Washington}} |1,836 |{{Composition bar|0.06|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,159,640 votes}} |{{Composition bar|0.36|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 514,942 votes}} |{{Composition bar|0|296|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |6th |225px |- ! colspan="12" | |- !1856 |100px |Millard Fillmore |100px |Andrew J. Donelson |872,703 | colspan=2 | {{Composition bar|21.54|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 4,051,605 votes}} |{{Composition bar|8|296|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |225px |- ! colspan="12" | |- |}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:88%;" |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! colspan="15" | U.S. House of Representatives |- ! rowspan=2|Election ! rowspan=2|Nominees<br><small>(and Endorsees)</small> ! colspan=4|Votes ! rowspan=32 | ! colspan=4|Seats ! rowspan=2|Control ! rowspan=32 | ! rowspan=2|Performance Map ! rowspan=32 | |- ! No. ! Share ! Share<br><small>(Where Contesting)</small> ! Share<br><small>(Total)</small> ! No. ! ± ! No.<br><small>(Party and Endorsed)</small> ! ± |- ! rowspan=2 | 1844-1845 |12 A |style="text-align:right;"|53,413 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|2.09|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,558,675 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|36.33|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 147,038 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|2.09|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,558,675 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|6|228|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 6 |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|6|228|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 6 |rowspan=2 {{no2|Democratic}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | MD-4 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John M. Duncan - 1,147 votes - (9.61%) | NY-2 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry J. Seaman - 6,164 votes - (51.75%)''' | NY-3 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William S. Miller - 6,613 votes - (54.71%)''' | NY-4 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel S. Lawrence - 6,428 votes - (48.35%) | NY-5 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Thomas M. Woodruff - 6,214 votes - (49.73%)''' | NY-6 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William W. Campbell - 7,856 votes - (48.82%)''' | PA-1 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Lewis C. Levin - 3,815 votes - (42.58%)''' | PA-2 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph W. Ashmead - 3,113 votes - (25.73%) | PA-3 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John H. Campbell - 5,281 votes - (52.10%)''' | PA-4 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Jacob Shearer - 4,060 votes - (41.11%) | PA-5 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}J. Jenkins Ross - 148 votes - (1.12%) | PA-8 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry Witmer - 2,574 votes - (17.21%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1846-1847 |23 A |style="text-align:right;"|28,469 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.22|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,327,159 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|11.88|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 239,600 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.22|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,327,159 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|230|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 5 |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|230|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 5 |rowspan=2 {{no2|Whig}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | KY-8 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}S.F. Trabue - 3,143 votes - (29.85%) | MA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Increase H. Brown - 562 votes - (6.05%) | MA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Wilder S. Thurson - 541 votes - (4.64%) | MA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Seth Alden - 271 votes - (2.27%) | MA-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Job Terry - 152 votes - (1.55%) | MA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Abraham H. Howland - 200 votes - (3.31%) | NJ-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles J. Hollis - 1,151 votes - (10.49%) | NJ-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Ridson - 280 votes - (2.03%) | NY-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry J. Seaman - 691 votes - (6.08%) | NY-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William S. Miller - 262 votes - (2.76%) | NY-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William L. Prawl - 865 votes - (8.40) | NY-5 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}David E. Wheeler - 1,493 votes - (14.96%) | NY-6 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William W. Campbell - 1,841 votes - (13.15%) | NY-8 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Haight - 1,209 votes - (10.18%) | NY-9 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Peter Roe - 63 votes - (0.58%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Lewis C. Levin - 3,574 votes - (39.47%)''' | PA-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph W. Ashmead - 2,422 votes - (24.79%) | PA-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W. Hollinshead - 4,370 votes - (38.91%) | PA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John S. Littell - 3,296 votes - (34.66%) | PA-5 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Paul B. Carter - 200 votes - (2.34%) | PA-8 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Emanuel C. Reigart - 823 votes - (11.41%) | PA-14 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}F.M. Wynkoop - 554 votes - (5.12%) | PA-21 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas Howard - 506 votes - (4.82%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1848-1849 |4 A |style="text-align:right;"|10,539 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.38|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,739,941 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|21.87|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 48,188 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.38|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,739,941 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|233|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|233|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 {{no2|Democratic}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | KY-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}S.F. Trabue - 4,665 votes - (47.31%) | NJ-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles J. Hollis - 718 votes - (5.20%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Lewis C. Levin - 4,897 votes - (51.89%)''' | PA-21 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Israel Cullen - 259 votes - (1.72%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1850-1851 |4 A |style="text-align:right;"|5,909 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.23|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,599,492 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|13.50|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 43,755 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.23|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,599,492 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|233|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|233|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=2 {{no2|Democratic}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NJ-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph Franklin - 1,084 votes - (8.10%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lewis C. Levin - 4,161 votes - (41.13%) | PA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William H. Brinckle - 122 votes - (1.25%) | PA-21 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Israel Cullen - 539 votes - (5.14%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1852-1853 |9 A |style="text-align:right;"|9,639 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.30|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,161,963 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|8.26|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 116,658 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.30|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,161,963 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|234|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|234|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 {{no2|Democratic}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NJ-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph Franklin - 905 votes - (6.06%) | NJ-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Daniel Busby - 134 votes - (0.68%) | NY-20 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James C. Delong - 310 votes - (1.83%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lewis C. Levin - 2,953 votes - (26.63%) | PA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Taylor - 413 votes - (3.91%) | PA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John S. Painter - 2,206 votes - (19.41%) | PA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Oliver P. Cornman - 2,063 votes - (16.43%) | PA-21 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Jared Wickersham - 276 votes - (2.65%) | PA-22 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Jacob Shamer - 379 votes - (4.13%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1854-1855 |101 A |style="text-align:right;"|626,586 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|19.39|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,231,368 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|49.12|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,275,574 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|20.14|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,231,368 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|52|234|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 52 |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|56|234|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{increase}} 56 |rowspan=4 {{no2|Opposition}} |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | AL-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Percy Walker - 5,653 votes - (52.40%)''' | AL-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Julius C. Alford - 5,520 votes - (45.11%) | AL-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas H. Watts - 5,808 votes - (47.80%) | AL-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William R. Smith - 5,787 votes - (59.83%)''' | AL-6 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James M. Adams - 3,697 votes - (37.13%) | AL-7 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William B. Martin - 5,220 votes - (42.72%) | CT-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Ezra Clark Jr. - 8,521 votes - (52.11%)''' | CT-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John Woodruff - 9,876 votes - (55.50%)''' | CT-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Sidney Dean - 8,055 votes - (67.51%)''' | CT-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William W. Welch - 9,701 votes - (56.07%)''' | DE-AL {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Elisha D. Cullen - 6,820 votes - (51.85%)''' | GA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel Varnadoe - 4,544 votes - (42.38%) | GA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Willis Hawkins - 7,153 votes - (48.01%) | GA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Robert P. Trippe - 6,112 votes - (53.96%)''' | GA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Benjamin Hill - 6,813 votes - (49.74%) | GA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lewis Tumlin - 7,973 votes - (41.39%) | GA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Leonidas Franklin - 5,227 votes - (36.22%) | GA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Nathaniel G. Foster - 4,792 votes - (51.13%)''' | GA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lafyette Lamar - 3,079 votes - (34.65%) | KY-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.G. Hughes - 5,708 votes - (37.97%) | KY-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John P. Campbell Jr. - 7,533 votes - (55.29%)''' | KY-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Warner Underwood - 7,362 votes - (56.88%)''' | KY-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Fountain T. Fox - 6,570 votes - (49.94%) | KY-5 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}C.G. Wintersmith - 6,628 votes - (48.37%) | KY-6 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George W. Dunlap - 6,340 votes - (45.20%) | KY-7 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Humphrey Marshall - 6,932 votes - (61.29%)''' | KY-8 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Alexander K. Marshall - 7,039 votes - (55.98%)''' | KY-9 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Leander Cox - 8,085 votes - (55.06%)''' | KY-10 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Samuel F. Swope - 7,490 votes - (51.72%)''' | LA-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''George Eustis Jr. - 2,588 votes - (53.40%)''' | LA-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Theodore G. Hunt - 5,811 votes - (48.46%) | LA-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Preston Pond - 4,616 votes - (49.38%) | LA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William B. Lewis - 6,461 votes - (41.95%) | MD-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John Dennis - 5,868 votes - (48.73%) | MD-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''James B. Ricaud - 8,484 votes - (56.58%)''' | MD-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''J. Morrison Harris - 6,538 votes - (50.21%)''' | MD-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry W. Davis - 7,988 votes - (51.60%)''' | MD-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry W. Hoffman - 8,320 votes - (52.36%)''' | MD-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Watkins - 4,746 votes - (46.07%) | MA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Robert B. Hall - 5,353 votes - (63.70%)''' | MA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''James Buffington - 8,064 votes - (68.25%)''' | MA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William S. Damrell - 8,668 votes - (74.76%)''' | MA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Linus B. Comins - 4,972 votes - (57.45%)''' | MA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Anson Burlingame - 5,967 votes - (61.64%)''' | MA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Timothy Davis - 7,428 votes - (65.39%)''' | MA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Nathaniel P. Banks - 8,928 votes - (73.22%)''' | MA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Chauncey L. Knapp - 7,004 votes - (62.80%)''' | MA-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Alexander De Witt - 8,795 votes - (76.97%)''' | MA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry Morris - 7,723 votes - (65.35%)''' | MA-11 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Mark Trafton - 6,640 votes - (50.52%)''' | MS-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}J.H. Taylor - 5,731 votes - (44.47%) | MS-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}L.E. Houston - 5,554 votes - (48.36%) | MS-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph B. Cobb - 5,894 votes - (44.52%) | MS-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William A. Lake - 5,907 votes - (50.76%)''' | MS-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Giles M. Hillyer - 4,489 votes - (40.69%) | NH-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''James Pike - 12,619 votes - (56.29%)''' | NH-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Mason Tappan - 12,129 votes - (58.37%)''' | NH-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Aaron H. Cragin - 12126 votes - (58.40%)''' | NY-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William Valk - 4,215 votes - (30.97%)''' | NY-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John W. Bryce - 626 votes - (8.27%) | NY-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Thomas R. Whitney - 3,320 votes - (30.86%)''' | NY-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Bayard Clarke - 7,764 votes - (59.56%)''' | NY-14 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John W. Harcourt - 4,270 votes - (28.45%) | NY-16 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Jerome B. Bailey - 3,121 votes - (27.06%) | NY-24 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}B. Davis Noxon - 3,409 votes - (26.62%) | NY-33 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Francis S. Edwards - 8,359 votes - (55.49%)''' | NC-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Robert T. Paine - 5,228 votes - (51.71%)''' | NC-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas J. Latham - 3,464 votes - (33.95 %) | NC-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}David Reid - 4,863 votes - (45.06%) | NC-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James B. Shepard - 4,223 votes - (38.33%) | NC-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Edwin G. Reade - 7,061 votes - (65.28%)''' | NC-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Richard C. Puryear - 6,516 votes - (51.45%)''' | NC-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel N. Stowe - 4,104 votes - (37.83%) | NC-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Leander B. Carmichael - 6,584 votes - (44.90%) | PA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Jacob Broom - 6,747 votes - (49.63%)''' | PA-11 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Kimber Klever - 354 votes - (2.56%) | PA-22 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}I.T. Robinson - 188 votes - (1.86%) | RI-E {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Nathan B. Durfee - 6,283 votes - (75.97%)''' | RI-W {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Benjamin B. Thurston - 4,484 votes - (88.30%)''' | TN-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Nathaniel G. Taylor - 7,511 votes - (48.57%) | TN-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William H. Sneed - 6,249 votes - (52.35%)''' | TN-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Josiah M. Anderson - 7,331 votes - (48.22%) | TN-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Cullom - 5,563 votes - (48.04%) | TN-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Charles Ready - 7,069 votes - (91.79%)''' | TN-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Powhattan Gordon - 4,245 votes - (33.37%) | TN-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Kendrick - 5,922 votes - (42.76%) | TN-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Felix Zollicoffer - 6,958 votes - (58.89%)''' | TN-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Emerson Etheridge - 7,952 votes - (51.82%)''' | TN-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Thomas Rivers - 5,860 votes - (53.29%)''' | TX-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Lemuel D. Evans - 10,352 votes - (50.10%)''' | TX-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John Hancock - 9,427 votes - (39.24%) | VA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Watts - 4,141 votes - (?%) | VA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.C. Scott - 5,466 votes - (47.88%) | VA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}L. Tazewell - 2,700 votes - (?%) | VA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}N.C. Claiborne - 5,142 votes - (42.75%) | VA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Ligon - 2,976 votes - (?%) | VA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Alexander R. Boteler - 6,959 votes - (49.29%) | VA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William K. Pendleton - 6,248 votes - (45.50%) | VA-11 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John S. Carlile - 8,333 votes - (51.20%)''' | VA-12 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.R. Staples - 6,385 votes - (46.10%) | VA-13 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Trigg - 3,525 votes - (?%) }} |- |3 D, 2 W |style="text-align:right;"|24,352 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.75|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,231,368 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|43.92|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 55,449 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|4|234|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 4 |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NY-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Whig Party (US)}}'''Guy R. Pelton - 4,084 votes - (49.06%)''' | NY-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Whig Party (US)}}'''Thomas Child Jr. - 6,557 votes - (56.29%)''' | NY-26 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}'''Andrew Oliver - 6,871 votes - (47.74%)''' | NY-29 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}'''John Williams - 5,609 votes - (47.94%)''' | NY-31 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Alden S. Baker - 1,231 votes - (13.12%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1856-1857 |130 A |style="text-align:right;"|623,783 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|16.21|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,847,162 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|30.53|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,045,148 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|22.80|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,847,162 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|14|236|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 38 |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|24|236|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{decrease}} 32 |rowspan=4 {{no2|Democratic}} |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | AL-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John McCaskill - 4,310 votes - (38.05%) | AL-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Batt Peterson - 4,464 votes - (37.57%) | AL-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas J. Judge - 6,418 votes - (45.44%) | AL-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William R. Smith - 4,952 votes - (43.50%) | AR-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Hugh A. Thomason - 6,361 votes - (28.91%) | AR-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Absalom Fowler - 8,701 votes - (42.37%) | CA-AL {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}B.C. Whitman - 36,078 votes - (33.37%) | CA-AL {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}A.B. Dibble - 35,325 votes - (32.67%) | DE-AL {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Elisha D. Cullen - 6,360 votes - (43.95%) | FL-AL {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James M. Baker - 5,650 votes - (46.92%) | GA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}F.L. Barrow - 5,082 votes - (44.39%) | GA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel C. Elam - 6,365 votes - (43.94%) | GA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Robert P. Trippe - 5,803 votes - (51.69%)''' | GA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}M.M. Tidwell - 6,939 votes - (46.42%) | GA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Joshua Hill - 4,800 votes - (51.47%)''' | GA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas W. Miller - 3,870 votes - (42.90%) | IL-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}B.D. Eastman - 257 votes - (1.03%) | IL-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Benjamin F. James - 685 votes - (2.14%) | IL-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Arthur H. Griffith - 987 votes - (3.12%) | IA-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John J. Selman - 826 votes - (2.29%) | KY-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Owen Grimes - 2,945 votes - (24.68%) | KY-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James L. Johnson - 6,173 votes - (46.12%) | KY-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Warner Underwood - 6,359 votes - (50.81%)''' | KY-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William C. Anderson - 6,861 votes - (49.41%) | KY-5 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Bryan R. Young - 4,996 votes - (40.38%) | KY-6 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John A. Moore - 5,950 votes - (44.34%) | KY-7 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Humphrey Marshall - 6,085 votes - (55.00%)''' | KY-8 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Roger W. Hanson - 6,451 votes - (49.52%) | KY-9 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Leander Cox - 7,534 votes - (48.04%) | KY-10 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Rankin - 4,185 votes - (32.36%) | LA-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''George Eustis Jr. - 2,336 votes - (60.39%)''' | LA-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Glendy Burke - 4,892 votes - (49.71%) | LA-3 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George W. Waterson - 3,512 votes - (35.38%) | LA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.H. Sparks - 5,205 votes - (36.48%) | MD-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Teagle Townsend - 6,165 votes - (49.30%) | MD-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''James B. Ricaud - 8,751 votes - (52.42%)''' | MD-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''J. Morrison Harris - 8,761 votes - (61.63%)''' | MD-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry W. Davis - 10,515 votes - (72.54%)''' | MD-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry W. Hoffman - 8,208 votes - (49.49%) | MD-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William J. Blackstone - 4,837 votes - (43.99%) | MA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Daniel Fisher - 1,601 votes - (14.12%) | MA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Darrius Dunbar - 1,132 votes - (7.03%) | MA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Alfred B. Ely - 1,435 votes - (8.47%) | MA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Benjamin F. Cooke - 1,678 votes - (14.85%) | MA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Appleton - 6,513 votes - (49.74%) | MA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Benjmain Perley - 1,121 votes - (7.74%) | MA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Isaac Story - 2,049 votes - (11.74%) | MA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Abiel Lewis - 364 votes - (2.66%) | MA-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Alexander De Witt - 4,414 votes - (26.57%) | MA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William C. Fowler - 4,081 votes - (27.34%) | MA-11 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Mark Trafton - 4,194 votes - (27.41%) | MO-1 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Luther M. Kennett - 5,549 votes - (40.31%) | MO-2 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Thomas L. Anderson - 8,876 votes - (52.14%)''' | MO-3 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James J. Lindley - 8,172 votes - (44.66%) | MO-4 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James H. Moss - 6,274 votes - (40.76%) | MO-5 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Samuel H. Woodson - 6,006 votes - (41.58%)''' | MO-6 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Burr H. Emerson - 6,911 votes - (41.29%) | MO-7 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}David E. Perryman - 4,883 votes - (30.94%) | MS-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James L. Alcorn - 2,738 votes - (36.24%) | MS-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Clark - 2,625 votes - (34.70%) | MS-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William A. Lake - 5,130 votes - (44.96%) | NJ-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Ingalls - 2,335 votes - (13.54%) | NJ-5 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Frederick B. Betts - 5,640 votes - (26.34%) | NY-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Richard Jennings - 5,640 votes - (31.20%) | NY-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Edward T. Wood - 5,476 votes - (26.00%) | NY-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Augustine J. Duganne - 2,905 votes - (27.03%) | NY-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.F. Gould - 1,735 votes - (15.02%) | NY-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Daniel L. Northrup - 3,798 votes - (26.93%) | NY-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Asa Williams - 3,658 votes - (24.10%) | NY-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George Briggs - 4,461 votes - (27.98%) | NY-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Shepard Knapp - 3,651 votes - (24.52%) | NY-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Marcius L. Cobb - 5,084 votes - (27.91%) | NY-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles W. Trotter - 3,936 votes - (25.11%) | NY-11 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John Fream - 5,902 votes - (33.36%) | NY-12 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Isaac Teller - 3,116 votes - (15.32%) | NY-13 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John I. Fonda - 4,108 votes - (29.19%) | NY-14 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Eli Perry - 5,095 votes - (28.27%) | NY-15 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John Cramer - 5,633 votes - (24.79%) | NY-16 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry H. Ross - 4,129 votes - (27.00%) | NY-18 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Abel Smith - 5,936 votes - (27.26%) | NY-22 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James D. Colver - 1,671 votes - (7.55%) | NY-24 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry G. Beach - 1,720 votes - (10.75%) | NY-25 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Fosgate - 3,644 votes - (18.26%) | NY-26 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Andrew Oliver - 4,264 votes - (24.12%) | NY-27 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Abraham Lawrence - 1,219 votes - (5.55%) | NY-28 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel Hallet - 4,895 votes - (24.89%) | NY-29 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George R. Clark - 3,156 votes - (20.66%) | NY-30 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Gilbert M. Cooley - 2,758 votes - (12.73%) | NY-31 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Washington Hunt - 4,694 votes - (35.27%) | NY-32 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Solomon G. Haven - 5,548 votes - (27.92%) | NY-33 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Francis S. Edwards - 3,251 votes - (17.35%) | NC-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William N. Smith - 5,255 votes - (49.82%) | NC-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}O.P. Meares - 1,488 votes - (19.02%) | NC-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John A. Gilmer - 5,692 votes - (54.02%)''' | NC-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Richard C. Puryear - 6,950 votes - (47.51%) | NC-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Zebulon Vance - 3,211 votes - (26.04%) | OH-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James F. Torrence - 2,642 votes - (20.27%) | OH-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John S. Harrison - 3,229 votes - (24.26%) | OH-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Philip Beeman - 369 votes - (1.95%) | OH-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Columbus Paige - 474 votes - (2.41%) | OH-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John A. Trimble - 1,598 votes - (9.05%) | OH-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Willard Ellsberry - 1,011 votes - (6.69%) | OH-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John W. Glover - 1,239 votes - (7.20%) | OH-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William T. Wilson - 271 votes - (1.41%) | OH-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Oscar F. Moore - 4,326 votes - (24.92%) | OH-12 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James R. Stanberry - 851 votes - (4.63%) | OH-16 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John Haynes - 1,382 votes - (9.16%) | OH-17 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph Davenport - 2,013 votes - (11.91%) | PA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Robert Foust - 6,560 votes - (35.85%) | PA-21 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William M. Wright - 477 votes - (3.38%) | PA-22 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Alexander Wadlow - 287 votes - (2.40%) | TN-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Nathaniel G. Taylor - 7,471 votes - (49.42%) | TN-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Horace Maynard - 5,556 votes - (50.89%)''' | TN-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Heiskill - 6,800 votes - (47.02%) | TN-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Joseph Pickett - 5,232 votes - (44.84%) | TN-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Charles Ready - 6,151 votes - (51.25%)''' | TN-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}D.E. McElrath - 1,665 votes - (16.19%) | TN-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Felix Zollicoffer - 6,088 votes - (52.17%)''' | TN-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Emerson Etheridge - 8,466 votes - (49.63%) | TN-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William H. Stevens - 5,697 votes - (48.68%) | TX-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lemuel D. Evans - 9,929 votes - (39.29%) | TX-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William E. Howth - 4,505 votes - (18.15%) | VA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}J.J. Critcher - 2,825 votes - (?%) | VA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}A. Judson Crane - 2,931 votes - (36.28%) | VA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Collier - 1,132 votes - (23.87%) | VA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Edgar Snowden - 3,941 votes - (42.50%) | VA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William Lucas - 4,516 votes - (40.51%) | VA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}FNU Dunnington - 2,821 votes - (28.51%) | VA-11 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John S. Carlile - 6,653 votes - (46.17%) | VA-13 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Elbert S. Martin - 5,249 votes - (49.67%) }} |- |5 D, 3 R, 22 U{{efn|Unionist slate in Pennsylvania, jointly nominated by Republicans and Americans}} |style="text-align:right;"|253,400 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|6.59|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,847,162 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|47.39|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 534,768 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|10|236|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 6 |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NJ-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Isaiah D. Clawson - 9,678 votes - (56.83%)''' | NJ-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''George R. Robbins - 11,723 votes - (52.30%)''' | NJ-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}James Bishop - 9,768 votes - (47.54%) | NY-17 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Edwin Dodge - 6,115 votes - (29.35%) | NY-19 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Jared C. Gregory - 8,881 votes - (45.30%) | NY-20 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}William C. Johnson - 8,275 votes - (43.80%) | NY-21 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Frederick Hyde - 8,192 votes - (38.01%) | NY-23 {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Luther J. Dorwin - 6,070 votes - (35.17%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Edward B. Knight - 7,275 votes - (43.38%) | PA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Edward Joy Morris - 6,411 votes - (51.58%)''' | PA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}William Millward - 6,753 votes - (45.98%) | PA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Daniel Mulvany - 7,961 votes - (45.14%) | PA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}John S. Bowen - 7,851 votes - (47.85%) | PA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Samuel C. Bradshaw - 8,789 votes - (45.99%) | PA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}David Yoder - 3,947 votes - (28.40%) | PA-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Anthony E. Roberts - 10,001 votes - (54.59%)''' | PA-10 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John C. Kunkel - 9,227 votes - (55.63%)''' | PA-11 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}James H. Campbell - 6,418 votes - (41.74%) | PA-12 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Elhanan Smith - 7,657 votes - (42.31%) | PA-13 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Samuel E. Dimmick - 5,065 votes - (31.07%) | PA-14 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Galusha A. Grow - 13,325 votes - (71.31%)''' | PA-15 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}William H. Irwin - 9,451 votes - (48.64%) | PA-16 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Lemuel Todd - 9,630 votes - (46.25%) | PA-17 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Joseph Pumroy - 9,715 votes - (48.72%) | PA-18 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John R. Edie - 8,792 votes - (50.91%)''' | PA-19 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John Covode - 10,409 votes - (54.40%)''' | PA-20 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Jonathan Knight - 9,411 votes - (47.85%) | PA-23 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''William Stewart - 8,552 votes - (61.00%)''' | PA-24 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}James S. Myers - 9,114 votes - (48.25%) | PA-25 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John Dick - 8,944 votes - (67.97%)''' }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1858-1859 |43 A |style="text-align:right;"|133,285 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|3.52|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 3,787,726 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|21.48|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 620,604 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|10.47|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,787,726 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|8|238|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 6 |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|35|238|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{increase}} 11 |rowspan=4 {{no2|Republican}} |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | AR-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W.M. Crosby - 2,853 votes - (13.52%) | AR-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James A. Jones - 3,104 votes - (13.58%) | LA-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''John E. Bouligny - 2,215 votes - (49.55%)''' | LA-2 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}L.D. Nichols - 4,459 votes - (43.01%) | LA-4 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}M.A. Jones - 3,878 votes - (25.28%) | MD-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Teagle Townsend - 6,384 votes - (47.93%) | MD-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Edwin H. Webster - 9,237 votes - (52.02%)''' | MD-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''J. Morrison Harris - 9,612 votes - (69.47%)''' | MD-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry W. Davis - 10,068 votes - (78.26%)''' | MD-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry W. Hoffman - 8,716 votes - (49.62%) | MD-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Alexander B. Hagner - 5,353 votes - (45.79%) | MA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Moses G. Cobb - 1,462 votes - (12.32%) | MA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Newell A. Thompson - 1,396 votes - (14.83%) | MA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George B. Loring - 2,116 votes - (19.74%) | MA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Elihu C. Baker - 810 votes - (6.86%) | MA-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Josiah H. Temple - 576 votes - (5.47%) | MA-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Mark Trafton - 508 votes - (4.78%) | MO-1 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel M. Breckinridge - 5,668 votes - (29.28%) | MO-4 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James H. Adams - 7,284 votes - (36.93%) | MO-5 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Samuel H. Woodson - 7,942 votes - (46.92%)''' | NJ-1 {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John T. Jones - 3,739 votes - (21.40%) | NY-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Amor J. Williamson - 3,015 votes - (33.26%) | NY-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Samuel F. Husted - 306 votes - (3.08%) | NY-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Gilbert C. Dean - 821 votes - (7.09%) | NY-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''George Briggs - 8,306 votes - (55.76%)''' | NY-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Edward W. Andrews - 545 votes - (3.45%) | NY-10 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}J.D. Friend - 1,587 votes - (11.50%) | NY-14 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John D. Livingston - 260 votes - (1.43%) | NY-16 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles M. Watson - 1,589 votes - (10.79%) | NY-21 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Moses La Grange - 294 votes - (1.52%) | NY-22 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Albertus Perry - 1,065 votes - (5.34%) | NY-24 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}B. Davis Noxon - 648 votes - (4.21%) | NY-25 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William H. Sisson - 1,631 votes - (9.12%) | NY-27 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William T. Lawrence - 670 votes - (3.25%) | NY-28 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Goldsmith Dennison - 1,651 votes - (9.38%) | NY-29 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James L. Angle - 1,393 votes - (10.11%) | NY-30 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James W. Black - 2,264 votes - (12.91%) | NY-31 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John H. White - 2,132 votes - (18.38%) | NY-33 {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William S. Johnson - 1,886 votes - (11.28%) | NC-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}? - ? votes - (?%) | OH-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}William R. Arthur - 394 votes - (2.61%) | RI-E {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Christopher Robinson - 3,846 votes - (49.29%)''' }} |- |7 R, 2 D, 24 P{{efn|People's slate in Pennsylvania, jointly nominated by Republicans and Americans}} |style="text-align:right;"|263,334 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|6.84|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 3,847,162 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|52.90|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 497,812 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|27|238|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 17 |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NY-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Luther C. Carter - 8,122 votes - (52.50%)''' | NY-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''James Humphrey - 6,475 votes - (36.88%)''' | NY-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}Robert H. McCurdy - 5,520 votes - (42.94%) | NY-8 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}'''Horace F. Clark - 9,035 votes - (58.77%)''' | NY-12 {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Charles L. Beale - 10,750 votes - (56.18%)''' | NY-18 {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Clark B. Cochrane - 10,581 votes - (53.17%)''' | NY-26 {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Emory B. Pottle - 8,598 votes - (54.52%)''' | NY-32 {{Party stripe|Republican Party (US)}}'''Elbridge G. Spaulding - 12,427 votes - (62.24%)''' | NC-3 {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Democratic Party (US)}}Malcolm J. McDuffie - 1,284 votes - (21.20%) | PA-1 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}John W. Ryan - 6,492 votes - (41.00%) | PA-2 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Edward J. Morris - 5,653 votes - (58.38%)''' | PA-3 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John P. Verree - 6,977 votes - (54.24%)''' | PA-4 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''William Millward - 9,749 votes - (59.25%)''' | PA-5 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John Wood - 9,701 votes - (57.37%)''' | PA-6 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}John M. Broomall - 4,676 votes - (28.09%) | PA-7 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Henry C. Longnecker - 8,325 votes - (50.76%)''' | PA-9 {{nbsp}} {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Thaddeus Stevens - 9,513 votes - (60.00%)''' | PA-10 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John W. Killinger - 8,900 votes - (61.46%)''' | PA-11 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''James H. Campbell - 7,153 votes - (47.20%)''' | PA-12 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''George W. Scranton - 10,043 votes - (61.89%)''' | PA-13 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}David K. Shoemaker - 6,566 votes - (45.05%) | PA-14 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Galusha A. Grow - 11,165 votes - (76.87%)''' | PA-15 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''James T. Hale - 9,238 votes - (55.69%)''' | PA-16 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Benjamin F. Junkin - 8,646 votes - (50.13%)''' | PA-17 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Edward McPherson - 9,348 votes - (50.72%)''' | PA-18 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Samuel S. Blair - 9,114 votes - (57.71%)''' | PA-19 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''John Covode - 9,149 votes - (52.81%)''' | PA-20 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}Jonathan Knight - 5,794 votes - (38.50%) | PA-21 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''James K. Moorhead - 6,539 votes - (57.27%)''' | PA-22 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Robert McKnight - 5,438 votes - (55.25%)''' | PA-23 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''William Stewart - 6,721 votes - (64.02%)''' | PA-24 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Chapin Hall - 9,012 votes - (52.42%)''' | PA-25 {{Party stripe|People's Party (US)}}'''Elijah Babbitt - 6,360 votes - (60.37%)''' }} |- ! colspan=17| |- |} {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:88%;" |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! colspan="11" | U.S. Senate |- ! rowspan=1|Election ! colspan=2|Seats ! rowspan=1|Control ! rowspan=32 | |- ! rowspan=1 | 1844-1845 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|54|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1846-1847 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|58|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1848–1849 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|60|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1850–1851 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|62|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1852–1853 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|62|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{increase}} 1 |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1854–1855 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|62|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1856–1857 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|4|62|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{increase}} 3 |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1858–1859 |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|2|66|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{decrease}} 2 |rowspan=1 {{no2|Democratic}} |- ! colspan=17| |- |}

=== State elections === {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:88%;" |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! colspan="15" | U.S. Governorships |- ! rowspan=2|Election ! rowspan=2|Nominees<br><small>(and Endorsees)</small> ! colspan=4|Votes ! rowspan=50 | ! colspan=4|Control ! rowspan=50 | ! rowspan=2|Performance Map ! rowspan=50 | |- ! No. ! Share ! Share<br><small>(Where Contesting)</small> ! Share<br><small>(Total)</small> ! No. ! ± ! No.<br><small>(Party and Endorsed)</small> ! ± |- ! rowspan=1 | 1844 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|26|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|26|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1845 |1 A |style="text-align:right;"|8,089 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.17|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 688,953 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|7.64|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 105,924 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.17|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 688,953 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|28|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|28|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry Shaw - 8,089 votes - (7.64%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1846 |3 A |style="text-align:right;"|10,326 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.76|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,361,268 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.95|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 530,614 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.76|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,361,268 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|29|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|29|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | LA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Derbigny - 598 votes - (2.56%) | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Francis Baylies - 3,423 votes - (3.36%) | NY {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Ogden Edwards - 6,305 votes - (1.56%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1847 |3 A |style="text-align:right;"|14,221 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.25|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,135,112 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|3.23|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 440,887 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.25|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,135,112 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|29|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|29|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Francis Baylies - 2,876 votes - (2.73%) | PA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Eman C. Reigart - 11,247 votes - (3.91%) | VT {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Reuben C. Benton - 98 votes - (0.20%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1848 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|30|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|30|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1849 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|30|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|30|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1850 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1851 |1 A |style="text-align:right;"|1,850 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.11|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,685,431 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.50|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 366,373 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.11|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,685,431 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | PA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Kimber Cleaver - 1,850 votes - (0.50%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1852 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1853 | rowspan=1 colspan=5 | No Candidates |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|0|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=1 |{{steady}} |rowspan=1 | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1854 |4 A |style="text-align:right;"|255,291 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|17.27|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,478,385 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|36.27|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 703,787 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|17.27|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,478,385 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|3|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 3 |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|3|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 3 |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | DE {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Peter F. Causey - 6,941 votes - (52.64%)''' | ME {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Anson Morrill - 44,565 votes - (49.17%)''' | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry Gardner - 81,503 votes - (62.58%)''' | NY {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Daniel Ullman - 122,282 votes - (26.03%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1855 |13 A |style="text-align:right;"|476,180 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|28.69|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,659,633 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|35.81|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,329,883 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|28.69|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,659,633 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|6|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 3 |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|6|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 3 |rowspan=2 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | AL {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George D. Shortridge - 32,086 votes - (42.21%) | CA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''J. Neely Johnson - 51,157 votes - (52.52%)''' | CT {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William T. Minor - 28,080 votes - (43.51%)''' | GA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Garnett Andrews - 43,358 votes - (41.76%) | KY {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Charles S. Morehead - 69,816 votes - (51.63%)''' | LA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles Derbigny - 19,755 votes - (45.57%) | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry Gardner - 51,497 votes - (37.73%)''' | MS {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Charles D. Fontaine - 27,579 votes - (45.78%) | NH {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Ralph Metcalf - 32,779 votes - (50.71%)''' | OH {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Allen Trimble - 24,276 votes - (8.04%) | TX {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}David C. Dickson - 18,968 votes - (40.93%) | VT {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James M. Slade - 3,475 votes - (8.06%) | VA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas Flournoy - 73,354 votes - (46.63%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1856 |9 A |style="text-align:right;"|406,846 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|20.03|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,031,310 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|29.19|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,393,944 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|22.53|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 2,031,310 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|6|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|7|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{increase}} 1 |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | AR {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James Yell - 14,841 votes - (35.58%) | CT {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''William T. Minor - 26,008 votes - (38.99%)''' | FL {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}David S. Walker - 5,894 votes - (48.68%) | IL {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Buckner S. Morris - 19,088 votes - (8.04%) | MA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Henry Gardner - 92,467 votes - (58.92%)''' | MO {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Robert C. Ewing - 40,589 votes - (35.23%) | NH {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Ralph Metcalf - 32,119 votes - (48.15%)''' | NY {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Erastus Brooks - 130,870 votes - (22.04%) | NC {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}John A. Gilmer - 44,970 votes - (43.80%) }} |- |1 O{{efn|Joint nomination between Americans, Republicans, Whigs and Free-Soilers; New Jersey}} |style="text-align:right;"|50,803 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|2.50|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 2,031,310 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|51.29|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 99,049 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{increase}} 1 |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NJ {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Opposition Party (US)}}'''William A. Newell - 50,803 votes - (51.29%)''' }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=3 | 1857 | 10 A | style="text-align:right;"|312,094 | style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|15.94|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,958,404 votes}} | style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|21.51|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,451,072 votes}} |rowspan=3 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|15.94|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,958,404 votes}} | rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|3|31|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} | rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 3 |rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|4|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=3 |{{decrease}} 3 |rowspan=3 |225px |- |rowspan=1 colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | CA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George W. Bowie - 19,481 votes - (20.80%) | GA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Benjamin H. Hill - 46,796 votes - (44.81%) | IA {{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}W. T. Henry - 1,004 votes - (1.33%) | MD {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}'''Thomas H. Hicks - 47,141 votes - (54.93%)''' | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Henry Gardner - 37,596 votes - (28.81%) | MS {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Edward M. Yerger - 14,095 votes - (33.99%) | MO {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}James S. Rollins - 47,641 votes - (49.82%) | OH {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Philadelph Van Trump - 10,272 votes - (3.11%) | PA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Isaac Hazlehurst - 28,168 votes - (7.76%) | TN {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Robert H. Hatton - 59,807 votes - (45.66%) }} |- | colspan=4 | No Cross-endorsed Candidates | style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|31|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} | |{{steady}} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1858 |2 A |style="text-align:right;"|72,964 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|6.02|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 1,212,345 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|10.99|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 663,898 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|6.02|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,212,345 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|2|32|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|3|32|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Amos A. Lawrence - 12,084 votes - (10.13%) | NY {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Lorenzo Burrows - 60,880 votes - (11.17%) }} |- |1 P{{efn|Joint nomination between Americans and Republicans; Delaware}} |style="text-align:right;"|7,554 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|0.62|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 1,212,345 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|49.33|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 15,312 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|32|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | DE {{Party stripe|People's Party (1850's)}}James S. Buckmaster - 7,554 votes - (49.33%) }} |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=4 | 1859 |2 A |style="text-align:right;"|25,170 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.25|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 2,006,113 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|18.56|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}}{{efn|Of 135,606 votes}} |rowspan=4 style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|3.91|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 2,006,113 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|32|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|2|32|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=4 |{{decrease}} 1 |rowspan=4 |225px |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | LA {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}Thomas J. Wells - 10,805 votes - (39.85%) | MA {{Party stripe|Know Nothing}}George N. Briggs - 14,365 votes - (13.20%) }} |- |1 O{{efn|Joint nomination between Americans, Republicans, and Anti-Lecompton Democrats; New Jersey}} |style="text-align:right;"|53,315 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|2.66|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 2,006,113 votes}} |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|50.67|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}}{{efn|Of 105,209 votes}} |rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|{{Infobox political party/seats|1|32|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |rowspan=2 |{{steady}} |- | colspan=4 | {{Collapsible list |expand= |title=Candidate Performance | | NJ {{nbsp}}{{Party stripe|Opposition Party (US)}}'''Charles S. Olden - 53,315 votes - (50.67%)''' }} |- ! colspan=17| |- |} === Municipal elections === {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:88%;" |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! colspan="15" | U.S. Mayoralties |- ! Year ! Municipality ! Nominee ! # votes ! % votes ! Place ! rowspan=50 | ! Municipality ! Nominee ! # votes ! % votes ! Place ! rowspan=50 | |- ! rowspan=2 | 1844 |Boston, MA{{efn|7th Round Results from February 21st, 1845}} |Thomas A. Davis |style="text-align:right;"|4,865 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|50.93|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |New York, NY |James Harper |style="text-align:right;"|24,534 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|48.69|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |- |Brooklyn, NY |William Rockwell |style="text-align:right;"|1,723<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-evening-star-1844-brooklyn-muni/190016963/ | title=1844 Brooklyn Municipal Election Results | date=April 13, 1845 | work=The Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|27.58|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |Philadelphia, PA |Elhanan W. Keyser |style="text-align:right;"|5,065 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|34.67|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1845 |Boston, MA |William S. Damrell |style="text-align:right;"|1,647 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|19.54|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |New York, NY |James Harper |style="text-align:right;"|17,485 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|35.72|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- |Brooklyn, NY |William Rockwell |style="text-align:right;"|1,530<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-1845-brooklyn-municipal-e/190016405/ | title=1845 Brooklyn Municipal Election Results | date=April 9, 1845 | work=The Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|22.75|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |Philadelphia, PA |Elhanan W. Keyser |style="text-align:right;"|4,538 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|33.51|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1846 |Boston, MA |Ninian C. Betton |style="text-align:right;"|735 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|12.35|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |New York, NY |William B. Cozzens |style="text-align:right;"|8,372 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|17.95|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |- |Brooklyn, NY |Thomas C. Pinckney |style="text-align:right;"|284<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-1846-brooklyn-municipal-e/190017616/ | title=1844 Brooklyn Municipal Election Results | date=April 15, 1846 | work=The Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|4.10|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |Philadelphia, PA |Peter A. Brown |style="text-align:right;"|3,244 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|26.48|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1847 |Boston, MA |Ninian C. Betton |style="text-align:right;"|866 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|9.73|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |4th |New York, NY |Elias G. Drake |style="text-align:right;"|2,078 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|4.78|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |- |Philadelphia, PA |Peter Fritz |style="text-align:right;"|2,530 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|20.83|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1848 |Boston, MA |Jerome V. C. Smith |style="text-align:right;"|417 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|5.35|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |4th |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1849 | | |style="text-align:right;"| |style="text-align:right;"| | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1850 | | |style="text-align:right;"| |style="text-align:right;"| | |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1851 |Boston, MA{{efn|3rd Round Results from December 24, 1851}} |Jerome V. C. Smith |style="text-align:right;"|2,736 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|34.32|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1852 |Philadelphia, PA |John S. Warner |style="text-align:right;"|408 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|3.02|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |3rd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1854 |Baltimore, MD |Samuel Hinks |style="text-align:right;"|13,845<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-1854-results/134659294/ | title=1854 Baltimore Municipal Election Results | date=October 12, 1854 | work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|55.49|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |Brooklyn, NY |George Hall{{efn|Originally nominated by the Temperance Party; later cross-endorsed by the Whig and American Parties.}} |style="text-align:right;"|9,001<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-1854-brooklyn-municipal-e/190091096/ | title=1854 Brooklyn Municipal Election Results | date=November 9, 1854 | work=The Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|58.12|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |'''Elected''' |- |Boston, MA |Jerome V. C. Smith |style="text-align:right;"|6,429 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|55.50|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Re-elected''' |New York, NY |James W. Barker |style="text-align:right;"|18,547 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|31.10|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1855 |Boston, MA |Nathaniel B. Shurtleff |style="text-align:right;"|5,390 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|41.95|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=3 | 1856 |Baltimore, MD |Thomas Swann |style="text-align:right;"|13,892<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-1856-baltimore-municip/190008841/ | title=1856 Baltimore Municipal Election Results | date=October 9, 1856 | work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|52.96|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |New Orleans, LA |Charles M. Waterman |style="text-align:right;"|4,726<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-picayune-1856-new-orleans-muni/190015110/ | title=1856 New Orleans Municipal Election Results | date=June 5, 1856 | work=The Daily Picayune}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|63.11|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |- |Boston, MA |Jonathan Preston |style="text-align:right;"|2,025 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|18.80|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |New York, NY |Isaac O. Barker |style="text-align:right;"|25,182 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|32.39|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- |Brooklyn, NY |George Hall |style="text-align:right;"|10,692<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-1856-brooklyn-municipal-e/190091403/ | title=1856 Brooklyn Municipal Election Results | date=November 7, 1856 | work=The Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|37.88|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |Philadelphia, PA |Henry D. Moore |style="text-align:right;"|25,445 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|46.05|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1857 |New York, NY |Daniel F. Tiemann{{efn|Jointly nominated by Republicans and Americans}} |style="text-align:right;"|43,216 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|51.38|100|{{party color|Fusion Party (US)}}}} |'''Elected''' |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=2 | 1858 |Baltimore, MD |Thomas Swann |style="text-align:right;"|24,008<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-1858-baltimore-municip/190008921/ | title=1858 Baltimore Municipal Election Results | date=October 14, 1856 | work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|83.17|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Re-elected''' |New Orleans, LA |Gerald Stith |style="text-align:right;"|3,581<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-orleans-crescent-1858-new-orlean/190015372/ | title=1858 New Orleans Municipal Election Results | date=June 10, 1858 | work=The Daily Picayune}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|50.93|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |- |Boston, MA |Jerome V. C. Smith{{efn|Declined nomination.}} |style="text-align:right;"|183 |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|1.53|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |4th |- ! colspan=17| |- ! rowspan=1 | 1860 |Baltimore, MD |Samuel Hindes |style="text-align:right;"|9,675<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-1860-baltimore-municip/190009048/ | title=1860 Baltimore Municipal Election Results | date=October 11, 1856 | work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|35.24|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |2nd |New Orleans, LA |John T. Monroe |style="text-align:right;"|3,727<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-picayune-1860-new-orleans-muni/190015669/ | title=1858 New Orleans Municipal Election Results | date=June 6, 1860 | work=The Daily Picayune}}</ref> |style="text-align:right;"|{{Composition bar|49.06|100|{{party color|Know Nothing}}}} |'''Elected''' |- ! colspan=17| |- |}

== Legacy == {{American nationalism|parties}} The nativist, anti-Catholic spirit of the Know Nothing movement was revived by later political movements such as the American Protective Association of the 1890s and the Second Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s.<ref name=Safire>{{citation |last=Safire |first=William |author-link=William Safire |title=Safire's Political Dictionary |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, New York |isbn=978-0-19-534061-7 |pages=375–76}}</ref> In the late 19th century, Democrats called the Republicans "Know Nothings" in order to secure the votes of Germans in the Bennett Law campaign in Wisconsin in 1890.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jensen |first=Richard J. |author-link=Richard J. Jensen |title=The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888–96 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=1971 |isbn=0-226-39825-0 |pages=108, 147, 160}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Louise Phelps |last=Kellogg |title=The Bennett Law in Wisconsin |journal=Wisconsin Magazine of History |volume=2 |issue=1 |date=September 1918 |page=13 |jstor=4630124}}</ref> A similar culture war took place in Illinois in 1892, where Democrat John Peter Altgeld denounced the Republicans: {{blockquote|The spirit which enacted the Alien and Sedition laws, the spirit which actuated the "Know-nothing" party, the spirit which is forever carping about the foreign-born citizen and trying to abridge his privileges, is too deeply seated in the party. The aristocratic and know-nothing principle has been circulating in its system so long that it will require more than one somersault to shake the poison out of its bones.{{sfnp|Jensen|1971|p=220}} }}

Some historians and journalists "have found parallels with the Birther and Tea Party movements, seeing the prejudices against Latino immigrants and hostility towards Islam as a similarity".<ref name="Villanova University">{{cite web |title=Library Exhibits {{!}} Know Nothings |url=https://exhibits.library.villanova.edu/chaos-in-the-streets-the-philadelphia-riots-of-1844/know-nothings |website=exhibits.library.villanova.edu |publisher=Villanova University}}</ref> Historians Steve Fraser and Joshue B. Freeman lend their opinion on the Know Nothing and the Tea Party movements, arguing: <blockquote>Tea Party populism should also be thought of as a kind of identity politics of the right. Almost entirely white, and disproportionately male and older, Tea Party advocates express a visceral anger at the cultural and, to some extent, political eclipse of an America in which people who looked and thought like them were dominant (an echo, in its own way, of the anguish of the Know-Nothings). A black President, a female speaker of the house, and a gay head of the House Financial Services Committee are evidently almost too much to bear. Though the anti-immigration and Tea Party movements so far have remained largely distinct (even with growing ties), they share an emotional grammar: the fear of displacement.<ref name="Villanova University"/></blockquote>

''Know Nothing'' has become a provocative slur, suggesting that the opponent is both nativist and ignorant. George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign was said by ''Time'' to be under the "neo-Know Nothing banner". Fareed Zakaria wrote that politicians who "encourage[d] Americans to fear foreigners" were becoming "modern incarnations of the Know-Nothings".<ref name=Safire/> In 2006, an editorial in ''The Weekly Standard'' by neoconservative William Kristol accused populist Republicans of "turning the GOP into an anti-immigration, Know-Nothing party".<ref name="shirley">{{cite news |first=Craig |last=Shirley |title=How the GOP Lost Its Way |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 22, 2006 |page=A21}}</ref> The lead editorial of the May 20, 2007, issue of ''The New York Times'' on a proposed immigration bill referred to "this generation's Know-Nothings".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/opinion/20sun1.html |title=The Immigration Deal |author=<!--The New York Times Editorial Board--> |work=The New York Times |date=2007-05-20}}</ref> An editorial written by Timothy Egan in ''The New York Times'' on August 27, 2010, and titled "Building a Nation of Know-Nothings" discussed the birther movement, which falsely claimed that Barack Obama was not a natural-born U.S. citizen, which is a requirement for the office of president.<ref>{{cite news |last=Egan |first=Timothy |author-link=Timothy Egan |url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/building-a-nation-of-know-nothings |title=Building a Nation of Know-Nothings |work=The New York Times |date=2010-08-27}}</ref>

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a number of commentators and politicians compared candidate Donald Trump to the Know Nothings due to his anti-immigration policies.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=John |last=Cassidy |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-isnt-a-fascist-hes-a-media-savvy-know-nothing |title=Donald Trump Isn't a Fascist; He's a Media-Savvy Know-Nothing |magazine=The New Yorker |date=2015-12-28 |access-date=2016-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Nevius |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/18/donald-trump-immigration-know-nothing-dangerous-republicans |title=Donald Trump is an immigration Know-Nothing, and dangerous for Republicans |work=The Guardian |date=2015-08-15 |access-date=2016-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Helen |last=Raleigh |url=http://townhall.com/columnists/helenraleigh/2015/09/19/is-trump-turning-the-gop-into-the-know-nothing-party-n2054097/page/full |title=Is Trump Turning the GOP Into the 'Know Nothing' Party? |website=Townhall |date=2015-09-19 |access-date=2016-01-16 |archive-date=April 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414103044/http://townhall.com/columnists/helenraleigh/2015/09/19/is-trump-turning-the-gop-into-the-know-nothing-party-n2054097/page/full |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Laura |last=Reston |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/122427/donald-trump-isnt-first-know-nothing-capture-american-hearts |title=Donald Trump Isn't The First Know Nothing to Capture American Hearts |magazine=The New Republic |date=2015-07-30 |access-date=2016-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Scott Eric |last=Kaufman |url=https://www.salon.com/2015/12/16/former_ny_governor_george_pataki_donald_trump_is_the_know_nothing_candidate_of_the_21st_century/ |title=Former NY Governor George Pataki: Donald Trump is the 'Know Nothing' candidate of the 21st Century |work=Salon |date=December 16, 2015 |access-date=2016-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2016/09/trump-throwback-know-nothing-party-1850s |title=Trump: A throwback to the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s |last=Kiedrowski |first=Jay |date=2016-09-09 |website=MinnPost |access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>

== In popular culture == The fictional "Confederation of American Natives" party was represented in the 2002 film ''Gangs of New York'', led by William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the fictionalized version of real-life Know Nothing leader William Poole. The Know Nothings also play a prominent role in the historical fiction novel ''Shaman'' by novelist Noah Gordon.

== Notable members == * Nathaniel P. Banks, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts and Union Army general * Levi Boone, mayor of Chicago * John Wilkes Booth, actor at Ford's Theatre who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Gene|title=American Gothic: the story of America's legendary theatrical family, Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York|year=1992|isbn=0-671-76713-5|page=60 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671767136/page/60 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> * John Edward Bouligny, congressman from Louisiana; refused to resign when Louisiana seceded from the Union * John J. Crittenden, senator for Kentucky * Henry Winter Davis, congressman from Maryland * Andrew Jackson Donelson, Washington D.C. newspaper editor, diplomat to Texas and Prussia, and Andrew Jackson's nephew * Millard Fillmore, 13th U.S. president * James Greene Hardy, lieutenant governor of Kentucky * Samuel Hinks, mayor of Baltimore * Thomas Holliday Hicks, governor of Maryland * William W. Hoppin, governor of Rhode Island<ref name="McLoughlin" /> * Sam Houston, senator from Texas<ref name=cantrell1>{{cite journal|last1=Cantrell|first1=Gregg|title=Sam Houston and the Know-Nothings: A Reappraisal|journal=The Southwestern Historical Quarterly|date=January 1993|volume=96|issue=3|pages=327–343|jstor=30237138}}</ref> * J. Neely Johnson, governor of California * Anthony Kennedy, senator from Maryland * Lewis Charles Levin, politician and social activist * Charles S. Morehead, governor of Kentucky<ref>{{cite book |last=Ramage |first=James A. |title=Kentucky's Governors |editor=Lowell H. Harrison |editor-link=Lowell H. Harrison |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=2004 |isbn=0-8131-2326-7 |page=75}}</ref> * Samuel Morse, politician, painter and inventor of Morse code and the telegraph<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Billington |first=Ray Allen |date=1959 |title=The Know-Nothing Uproar |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/know-nothing-uproar |magazine=American Heritage |volume=10 |number=2 |language=en}}</ref> * William Poole, politician and a founder and leader of the New York City criminal Nativist gang the Bowery Boys * Thaddeus Stevens, congressman from Pennsylvania<ref>{{cite book| last=Brodie| first=Fawn| author-link=Fawn Brodie| year=1966| edition=Norton Library| orig-date=1959| title=Thaddeus Stevens: Scourge of the South| publisher=W. W. Norton & Co. Inc.| location=New York| isbn=0-393-00331-0 |page=122 |url=https://archive.org/details/thaddeusstevenss00brod |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> * Thomas Swann, mayor of Baltimore * Stephen Palfrey Webb, mayor of San Francisco * Henry Wilson, 18th U.S. vice president<ref>{{cite book |last=Foner |first=Eric |date=1995 |title=Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl38uYb85DgC&pg=PA113 |location=New York, New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-1997-6226-2|page=113}}</ref>

== See also == * Philadelphia Nativist Riots * Know-Nothing Riots in United States politics (1844–1858) * Baltimore Know-Nothing riots of 1856 * 71st Infantry Regiment (New York) * Anti-Catholicism in the United States * Nativism in United States politics * Religious discrimination in the United States * Xenophobia in the United States

==References== ===Notes=== {{notelist}}

===Citations=== {{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography=== {{refbegin|35em}} {{Further|Nativism (politics) in the United States#Bibliography}} * Alsan, Marcella, Katherine Eriksson, and Gregory Niemesh. "Understanding the Success of the Know-nothing Party" (No. w28078. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020) [https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28078/w28078.pdf statistical analysis of anti-Irish vote in Massachuesetts online]. * Anbinder, Tyler. ''Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the politics of the 1850s'' (1992). online at ACLS History e-Book;, the standard scholarly study' [https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/list?q=&p=1&ps=20&mlt=LHDO19772 summary] * Anbinder, Tyler. "Nativism and prejudice against immigrants," in ''A companion to American immigration'', ed. by Reed Ueda (2006) pp.&nbsp;177–201 [https://books.google.com/books?id=cHZc5GJOlwIC&dq=Anbinder%3B+Tyler+nativism&pg=PA177 online excerpt] * Baker, Jean H. (1977), ''Ambivalent Americans: The Know-Nothing Party in Maryland'', Baltimore: Johns Hopkins. * Baum, Dale. "Know-Nothingism and the Republican Majority in Massachusetts: The Political Realignment of the 1850s." ''Journal of American History'' 64 (1977–78): 959–86. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1890732 in JSTOR] * Baum, Dale. ''The Civil War Party System: The Case of Massachusetts, 1848–1876'' (1984) * Bennett, David H. ''The Party of Fear: From Nativist Movements to the New Right in American History'' (1988) [https://archive.org/details/partyoffearfromn00benn online] * Billington, Ray A. ''The Protestant Crusade, 1800–1860: A Study of the Origins of American Nativism'' (1938), standard scholarly survey; [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.214564 online] * Bladek, John David. "'Virginia Is Middle Ground': the Know Nothing Party and the Virginia Gubernatorial Election of 1855." ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'' 1998 106(1): 35–70. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4249690 in JSTOR] * Boissoneault, Lorraine. "How the 19th-Century Know Nothing Party Reshaped American Politics." ''Smithsonian Magazine'' (2017), heavily illustrated with editorial cartoons. [http://www.elegantbrain.com/edu4/classes/readings/depository/race/ImmigrationRaceNativism.pdf online] * Carriere, Marius. "Political Leadership of the Louisiana Know-Nothing Party." ''Louisiana History'' (1980): 183–195. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4231987 online] * Cheathem, Mark R. "'I Shall Persevere in the Cause of Truth': Andrew Jackson Donelson and the Election of 1856". ''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'' 2003 62(3): 218–237. {{ISSN|0040-3261}} Donelson was Andrew Jackson's nephew and K–N nominee for Vice President * Dash, Mark. "New Light on the Dark Lantern: the Initiation Rites and Ceremonies of a Know-Nothing Lodge in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania" ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 2003 127(1): 89–100. {{ISSN|0031-4587}} * Desmond, Humphrey J. ''The Know-Nothing Party'' (1905) [https://archive.org/details/knownothingparty00desm online] * Farrell, Robert. "No Foreign Despots on Southern Soil: The Know-Nothing Party in Alabama, 1850-1857." ''Alabama Review'' 72.2 (2019): 99–122. [https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/181/article/726617/summary extract] * Farrelly, Maura Jane. ''Anti-Catholicism in America, 1620–1860'' (Cambridge University Press, 2017) . * Gienapp, William E. "Nativism and the Creation of a Republican Majority in the North before the Civil War," ''Journal of American History'', Vol. 72, No. 3 (Dec., 1985), pp.&nbsp;529–559 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1904303 in JSTOR] * Gienapp, William E. ''The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852–1856'' (1978), detailed statistical study, state-by-state * Gillespie, J. David. ''Challengers To Duopoly : Why Third Parties Matter in American Two-Party Politics.'' Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Dec. 2014. * Gleeson, David T. ''The Irish in the South, 1815–1877'' Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. * Haebler, Peter. "Nativist Riots in Manchester: An Episode of Know-Nothingism in New Hampshire." ''Historical New Hampshire'' 39 (1985): 121–37. * Holt, Michael F. ''The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party'' (1999) * Holt, Michael F. ''Political Parties and American Political Development: From the Age of Jackson to the Age of Lincoln'' (1992) * Holt, Michael F. "The Antimasonic and Know Nothing Parties", in Arthur Schlesinger Jr., ed., ''History of United States Political Parties'' (1973), I, 575–620. * Hurt, Payton. "The Rise and Fall of the 'Know Nothings' in California," ''California Historical Society Quarterly'' 9 (March and June 1930). * Kadir, Djelal. "Agnotology and the Know-Nothing Party: Then and Now." ''Review of International American Studies'' 10.1 (2017): 117–131. [http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.ojs-issn-1991-2773-year-2017-volume-10-issue-1-article-5410/c/5410-3673.pdf online] * Lee, Erika. ''America for Americans: A history of xenophobia in the United States'' (Basic Books, 2019) [https://books.google.com/books?id=rI2LDwAAQBAJ&dq=Erika+Lee&pg=PT8 online]. * Levine, Bruce. "Conservatism, Nativism, and Slavery: Thomas R. Whitney and the Origins of the Know-nothing Party" ''Journal of American History'' 2001 88(2): 455–488. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2675102 in JSTOR] * McGreevey, John T. ''Catholicism and American Freedom: A History'' (W. W. Norton, 2003) * Maizlish, Stephen E. "The Meaning of Nativism and the Crisis of the Union: The Know-Nothing Movement in the Antebellum North." in William Gienapp, ed. ''Essays on American Antebellum Politics, 1840–1860'' (1982) pp.&nbsp;166–98 * Melton, Tracy Matthew. ''Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854–1860''. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society (2005). * Mulkern, John R. ''The Know-Nothing Party in Massachusetts: The Rise and Fall of a People's Movement''. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1990. [https://books.google.com/books?id=KyISxp0yfG0C excerpt] * Nevins, Allan. ''Ordeal of the Union: A House Dividing, 1852–1857'' (1947), overall political survey of era [https://archive.org/details/ordealofunion02nevi online] * Overdyke, W. Darrell. ''The Know-Nothing Party in the South'' (1950) * Ramet, Sabrina P., and Christine M. Hassenstab. "The Know Nothing Party: Three Theories about its Rise and Demise." ''Politics and Religion'' 6.3 (2013): 570–595. * Parmet, Robert D. "Connecticut's Know-Nothings: A Profile," ''Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin'' (1966), 31 #3, pp.&nbsp;84–90 * Rice, Philip Morrison. "The Know-Nothing Party in Virginia, 1854–1856." ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'' (1947): 61–75. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4245457 in JSTOR] * Roseboom, Eugene H. "Salmon P. Chase and the Know Nothings." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 25.3 (1938): 335–350. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1897252 online] * Scisco, Louis Dow. ''Political Nativism in New York State'' (1901) [https://archive.org/details/politicalnativi01scisgoog full text online], pp.&nbsp;84–202 * Taylor, Steven. "Progressive Nativism: The Know-Nothing Party in Massachusetts" ''Historical Journal of Massachusetts'' (2000) 28#2 [http://www.wsc.mass.edu/mhj/pdfs/Taylor%20summer%202000%20combined.pdf online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210182050/http://www.wsc.mass.edu/mhj/pdfs/Taylor%20summer%202000%20combined.pdf |date=December 10, 2015 }} * Tuska, Benjamin. "Know-Nothingism in Baltimore 1854-1860." ''Catholic Historical Review'' 11.2 (1925): 217–251. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25012185.pdf online] * Voss-Hubbard, Mark. ''Beyond Party: Cultures of Antipartisanship in Northern Politics before the Civil War'' (2002) * Wilentz, Sean. ''The Rise of American Democracy.'' (2005); {{ISBN|0-393-05820-4}} {{refend}}

==== Primary sources ==== {{refbegin}} * Anspach, Frederick Rinehart. [https://archive.org/details/sonssiresahisto01ansgoog ''The Sons of the Sires: A History of the Rise, Progress, and Destiny of the American Party'']. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1855. Work by K–N activist. * Boissoneault, Lorraine. "How the 19th-Century Know Nothing Party Reshaped American Politics." ''Smithsonian Magazine'' (2017), heavily illustrated with editorial cartoons. [http://www.elegantbrain.com/edu4/classes/readings/depository/race/ImmigrationRaceNativism.pdf online] * Busey, Samuel Clagett (1856). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OCLC17693259 ''Immigration: Its Evils and Consequences'']. * Carroll, Anna Ella (1856). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OCLC02013425 ''The Great American Battle: Or, The Contest Between Christianity and Political Romanism'']. * Fillmore, Millard; Frank H. Severance (ed.)(1907). [https://books.google.com/books?id=x1cOAAAAIAAJ ''Millard Fillmore Papers''] * One of Them. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dB0fAAAAMAAJ&q=%22know+nothing%22 ''The Wide-Awake Gift: A Know Nothing Token for 1855'']. New York: J.C. Derby, 1855. ** Bond, Thomas E. [https://archive.org/details/55BondKnownothings "The 'Know Nothings{{'"}}], from ''The Wide-Awake Gift: A Know Nothing Token for 1855''. New York: J. C. Derby, 1855; pp.&nbsp;54–63. {{refend}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122824/http://www.americanheritage.com/events/articles/web/20061104-know-nothing-nativism-american-party-immigration-catholicism.shtml Nativism in the 1856 Presidential Election] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060831075353/http://dig.lib.niu.edu/message/ps-nativism.html Nativism By Michael F. Holt, PhD] * [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/703.html Lager Beer Riot, Chicago 1855] * {{cite encyclopedia|title=Knownothingism|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08677a.htm|encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia}} * {{Handbook of Texas|id=waa01|name=American Party}} * {{Wikisource-inline|list= ** Know Nothing Platform 1856 ** {{cite NIE|wstitle=Know-Nothings|year=1905|short=x|noicon=x}}}}

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