Was Abraham Lincoln a Know-Nothing?
Most of the evidence regarding the matter of Abraham Lincoln’s association with the Know-Nothings seems to suggest that he was not one. For one thing, Lincoln was strongly against the oppression of blacks on the basis of race and believed that it would be hypocritical to support a group that discriminated against whites on the basis of religion or socioeconomic status. Also, Lincoln often argued that the Know-Nothings’ ideology and actions were unconstitutional. Lincoln once said,”We now practically read it [the Preamble] ‘all men are created equal, except for Negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics.'” Finally, Lincoln openly decried groups such as the Know-Nothings as having a degenerative effect on society. Given this evidence, Abraham Lincoln could not possibly have supported the views of the Native American Party.
