University of Maryland
Umbc Center for History Education: Reshaping American Society
Using this history lab, students will examine the impact immigration had on urbanization and the reform movements of the time, as well as the addressing the backlash to immigration by understanding nativism.
Digital History
Digital History: American Catholics
The American Catholic church expanded rapidly due to the immigration of the Irish and Germans. Read about the prejudice against the church based mainly on the backlash to the immigration of "others." See also how the Catholic church took...
Northern Illinois University
National Campaign Materials 1840 1840: Political Culture: Nativism
This site has an article about pre-Civil War nativism as it was fueled by anti-immigrant groups and anti-Catholicism.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Know Nothing
Wikipedia provides detailed information on the Know Nothing movement, a Native American political movement of the 1850s.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Irish and German Immigration
Read about the reasons thousands of Irish and Germans emigrated to the United States in the first half of the 19th century. Find out why there was a backlash to influx of so many immigrants, and learn about the Nativists who wanted to...