Nativists blamed immigrants for the problems in America and felt that they were threatening their culture. They also believed that immigrants were taking jobs away from American citizens, which caused them to become very angry. Immigrants were seen as uneducated and ignorant, and not worthy of being American citizens. The nativists believed that an immigrant was not as good as native-born citizen because they did not share the same values, beliefs, and customs as Americans. Immigrants also brought diseases with them from their countries that could spread and kill people in America.
The main reason why immigrants were seen as threats is that they did not share the same language, religion, traditions, or culture as Americans. The US was founded by people who came from all over Europe, so it made sense that there would be many different religious backgrounds in America today. This was something that bothered many Americans; they wanted everyone to believe and act like them.
The first major wave of anti-immigrant sentiment occurred during the 1840s and 1850s when large numbers of Irish and German Catholics arrived in America. The main reason why this was so was that most Protestants viewed Catholicism as a “foreign religion”, which was not compatible with Protestantism.
The second major wave of anti-immigrant sentiment occurred during the 1880s and 1890s when large numbers of Jews, Italians, and Eastern Europeans arrived in America.
