Know-Nothing: a member of the nineteenth-century anti-immigrant American Party; someone who is utterly ignorant
Know-Nothing was the popular nickname for the American Party, founded in 1843 in New York as the American Republican Party. As it spread to other parts of the country, its name changed to the Native American Party and then the American Party. The American Party's main platform was opposition to immigrants, especially the large number of Irish and German Catholic immigrants pouring into the country. The Party acquired its nickname because it was run like a secret society. Members were instructed that when questioned about Party activities, they were to respond, "I know nothing."
The Know-Nothings were at their strongest during the mid-1850s. They succeeded in getting several of their members elected to Congress, and their candidate for the 1856 presidential election, Millard Fillmore, won 21 percent of the popular vote. After this high point they quickly declined, partly because of tension between proslavery and antislavery factions. Many antislavery Know-Nothings eventually joined the newly formed Republican Party. By 1860 the Know-Nothings had disappeared.
Know-Nothing has also been used as a general term for an ignoramus since the nineteenth century, as in this quotation from James Fenimore Cooper's 1827 novel The Red Rover: "The fellow is a know-nothing!" Although the Know-Nothings are largely forgotten these days, their name is still occasionally invoked in discussions of immigration policy. The New York Times published a May 20, 2007 editorial with the line: "It is no comfort to watch as this generation's Know-Nothings bray against 'amnesty' . . ."