The Nativist Movement in America—Religious Conflict in the 19th Century

By the early nineteenth century, immigration had become a key controversy in American politics. Fueling the dissent were several staunchly anti-immigration groups, dedicated to maintaining what they understood to be the vision and spirit of the Founding Fathers. Afraid of the moral and social impact of foreigners, the Nativist Movement formed to advocate for stricter immigration laws in order to maintain the supposed homogeneity of America. Of particular concern to the Nativists were Roman Catholic immigrants whose commitment to the Pope distressed Protestants.

The Nativist Movement in American History draws attention to the religious dimension of a movement that set the stage for future immigration policy and anti-immigrant sentiment. Concentrating on the mid-19th century and exmining the anti-Catholic violence that erupted along the East Coast, Katie Oxx historicizes the burning of an Ursuline convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the Bible Riots in Philadelphia, and the theft and destruction of the "Pope's Stone" in Washington D.C.

In a concise narrative, together with trial transcripts and newspaper articles, poems, and personal narratives, the author introduces the Nativist Movement to students, illuminating the history of exclusion and these formative clashes between religious groups.