Understanding the success of the Know-Nothing party

We study the contribution of economic conditions to the success of the first avowedly nativistpolitical party in the United States. The Know-Nothing Party gained control of a number of stategovernments in the 1854-1856 elections running on a staunchly anti-Catholic and anti-Irishplatform. Our analysis focuses on the case of Massachusetts, which had experienced a wave ofIrish Famine immigration and was at the forefront of industrialization in the United States. Votersin towns with more exposure to Irish labor market crowdout and deskilling in manufacturingwere more likely to vote for Know-Nothing candidates in state elections. These two forces playeda decisive role in 1855, but not the other years of the Know Nothings’ success. We find evidenceof reduced wealth accumulation for native workers most exposed to labor market crowdout anddeskilling, though this was tempered by occupational upgrading