Nativism in Kentucky to 1860

NATIVISM IN KENTUCKY TO 1860 BY SISTER AGNES GER... L\.LDINE McGANN, M.A. of The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Nazareth, Kentucky ~ ~issetbdinn SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WASHINGTON, D. C. 1944 Copyright, 1944 by THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS The Abbey Press, St. Melnrad, Ind. NATIVISM IN KENTUCKY TO 1860 This dissertion was conducted under the direction of Professor Richard J. Purcell, Ph.D., LL.B., as major professor and was approved by the Reverend John Tracy Ellis, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Edward P. Lilly, Ph.D., as readers. TO THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF NAZARETH PREFACE It is the purpose of this study to trace the rise, progress, and decline of Nativism as an anti-foreign, anti-Catholic social and political movement in Kentucky prior to the Civil War. The terms, Native American, American, and Know Nothing, are used interchangeably so far as fundamental concepts are concerned, but the popular appellation, Know Nothing, is generally restricted to the resurgence of Na tivism in the decade before the War between the States. The activities sponsored by these groups, however desig nated, were designed to advance the interests of native-born citizens to the exclusion of the rights of naturalized citizens, especially those affiliated with the Catholic Church. At one period the anti-foreign aspect of the opposition predomi nated; at another, the anti-Catholic feeling, but frequently the two phases were fused. Attention has been focused on Louisville, Kentucky's leading city, because there the bulk of foreign-born citizens dwelt, the Catholic Church claimed more numerous adherents than elsewhere in Kentucky, and it was there, also, tnat the Louisville Journal, the principal state organ of the Know-Nothing party, found its home. Again, Covington and Newport, comparatively small towns with a predominantly German population in the fifties, have received_ less attention because their history merged with that of "greater Cincinnati" of which they form part. With the exception of passing references to Kentucky by Arthur Charles Cole in an essay, "Nativism in the Lower Mississippi Valley," Proceedings of the Mississip'JYi Valley Historical Association, VI ( 1913), 258-75; a study of the significant relationship of political sentiment and the soil in "Sectionalism in Kentucky from 1855 to 1865" by James R. Robertson of Berea College in The Mississippi Valley Histor ical Review, IV (June, 1917), 49-63; and a casual, slight account of Know-Nothingism in Kentucky, written over fifty years ago, by Thomas J. Jenkins in The Catholic World, LVII (July, 1893), 511-22, there is nothing of a mono- vii viii Nativism in Kentucky to 1860 graphic character on this subject. This study is one of a series of published doctoral dissertations, brochures, and un published masters' essays on the general subject of political Nativism, instituted and directed by Professor Richard J. Purcell, some of which are available in print and others i~ manuscript form in the Mullen Library of the Catholic Uni versity of America.1 1 The following from the Purcell series have proved valuable as a background for this study: John P. Barry, "The Know-Nothing Party in the District of Colum bia" (1933); Sister M. Regina Baska, "Archbishop Bedini's Tour in America" ( 1927) ; Sister M. Fabian Buonocore, "Political N ativism in Syracuse, N. Y." (1935); Sister Xavier Dehner, "The Know-Noth ing Party in Virginia, 1852-1860" (1942); Sister Marie Leonore Fell, "Bishop Hughes and the Common School Controversy,, ( 1936) and The Foundations of Nativim,, in A.merican Textbooks, 1783-1860 (Washington, 1941); Sister M. Angela Fitzmorris, Four Decades of Catholicism in Texa,s, 18!0-1860 (Washington, 1926); Sister Theo phane Geary, A History of Third Parties in Pennsylvania (Washing ton, 1938) ; Sister Mary de Lourdes Gohmann, Political Nativism in TennesBee to 1860 (Washington, 1938); Sister Denise Fra~cis H~ey, "New York State in the Election of 1856" (1943); Mother. Mary Boniface Henze, "Political Nativism in New Jersey" (1938); Sister Callista Hynes, "The History of the American Protective Association in Minnesota' '(1940); Sister M. Augustine Kwitchen, "Toledo Blade and the National Elections, 1840-1860" (1943); Sister Marie Carolyn Klinkhamer, "Attitudes of Congress toward Foreigners, Immigration, and Colonization, 1789-1825" (1941); Sister M. St. Henry Mccon ville, "Nativism in Pennsylvania" in Records of the American Catholic Historical Society, XLVII ( March, 1936), 5-48; Sister M. St. Patrick Mcconville, Polit-ical Nativism in the State of MMyland, 1830-1860 (,Vashington, 1928); Sister Blanche Marie McEnery, Catholics a:nd the Mexican War ( Washington, 1937) ; Sister Agnes Geraldine McGann, "The Know-Nothing Movement in Kentucky" in Re<»rds of the American Catholio Historical Society, XLIX (December, 1938), 291-329; Sister Paul of the Cross McGrath, Political Nativism, in Te~as, 1815-1860 (Washington, 1930); Sister M. Eunice Murphy, "The History of the American Protective Association in Ohio" (1939); Carroll John Noonan, Political Nativism in Connecticut (WashingtonJ 193~); Sister M. Felicity O'Driscoll, ''Political Nativism in Buffalo, N. Y., 1830-1860," in Records of the American Catholic HisthTica.l Society, XLVIII (September, 1937), 279-318; Sister M. Cecilia Pa- . Preface 1X Unpublished manuscripts and ne,vspapers have been con sulted in the following Kentucky depositories : the Filson Club, the Jefferson County Courthouse, and the Kentucky Room of the Free Public Library, Louisville; the archives of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Nazareth ; the librar ies of the University of Kentucky and Transylvania Col lege, Lexington; the Lexington Public Library; the Ken tucky State Historical Society and the State Capitol Library, Frankfort; and the Public Library of Covington. Some of the correspondence of Bishop Martin John Spalding has been found at the Baltimore Cathedral Archives. The ar chives of the Archdiocese of Louisville, however, contain no material of value for this dissertation. The evacuation of manuscripts from the Library of Congress has prevented a careful rechecking of the Crittenden Correspondence which was used in writing an earlier master's essay on a phase of this subject. The Breckinridge and Donelson Papers which might have yielded pertinent material were unavailable for the same reason. The Calendar of the Papers of John Jor dan Crittenden (Washington, 1913), a chronological, an notated list, contains eight or ten items--correspondence of Albert T. Burnley, Garrett Davis, Robert P. Letcher, and luszak. "The Catholic Telegraph on Contemporary Affairs and Pol itics" (1940); Joseph Panzer, "Attitude of the American Quarterly Register towards Catholicism and Immigration" (1938); Richard J. Purcell and John F. Poole, "Political N ativism in Brooklyn" in Journal of lrisk American Historical Society, XXXII (1941), 10-56; Daniel F. Reilly, O.P., The School Oontroversy, 1891-1893 (\Vashington, 1944); James P. Lauer, O.S.B., "Contemporary American Attitude toward Catholic Emancipation" (1930); Sister M. Lucy Josephine Selig, "Know-Nothingism in Florida" (1944); Sister Beatrice Solensky, "Elections of 1853 to 1859 in Alabama" (1943); Alfred G. Stritch, "Political Nativism in Cincinnati, 1830-1860" in Reoords of the AmeT ica.n Catholic Hiatorical Society, XLVIII (September, 1937), 227-78; Sister Evangeline Thomas, Nativism, in the Old Northwest, 1850-1860 ( Washington, 1936) ; George Welsh, "The Fillmore Campaign of 1856" (1934); Sister M. Symphorosa Wlodkowaska, "Political Na tivism in Cleveland" (1938). X Nativism in Kentucky to 1860 George Robertson-which would be, in all probability, of value. I am happy to have this opportunity to acknowledge my indebtedness to Professor Richard J. Purcell for his guid ance during my years of study. I wish also to thank him for the suggestion of this subject and for his careful direc tion of its development. I extend my gratitude likewise to the Reverend John Tracy Ellis and to Assistant Professor Edward P. Lilly for a constructively critical reading of the manuscript. To the members of my Congregation who have furthered this work by their kindness and interest, and to all who have in any way aided in bringing it to completion, I am deeply grateful. Nazareth, Kentucky March 19, 1944 CONTENTS Chapter Page I. Nativism Seeks a Footing .................... 1 II. Nativism in the Constitutional Convention of 1849 . 29 Ill. The Know.Nothing Movement . • • • . • . • . • • • • • • 48 IV. A Bloody Election • • . • • • • . • . • . • • • . • . • • • 86 V. The Know-Nothings in Power • . • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • 114 VI. The Decline of Know-Nothingism • • • • • . • • . • . • • • 141 Bibliography .................................... 159 Index . ............ 167 xi CHAPTER I NATIVISM SEEKS A FOOTING Nativism may be designated as a species of racialism which would promote a protective policy of favoring the native-born inhabitants of the country against immigrants and aliens who allegedly are objectionable for ~acial, social, religious, economic, or political reasons. This being so, it might be assumed that the leveling influence of frontier democracy should have tended to abolish any narrow pro scription, and that in areas where foreign immigrants were few in number a restrictive

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