It flourished on the
hysteria caused by the abduction of William Morgan of Batavia, in
western New York, in 1826. Morgan had written a book purporting
to lay bare the secrets of Freemasonry. His mysterious
disappearance was laid at the doors of leading Freemasons; and it
was alleged that members of this order placed their secret
obligations above their duties as citizens and were hence unfit
for public office. The movement became impressive in
Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York. It
served to introduce Seward and Fillmore into politics. Even a
national party was organized, and William Wirt, of Maryland, a
distinguished lawyer, was nominated for President. He received,
however, only the electoral votes of Vermont. The excitement soon
cooled, and the party disappeared.
The American or Know-Nothing party had for its slogan "America
for Americans," and was a considerable factor in certain
localities, especially in New York and the Middle States, from
1853 to 1856. The Free Soil party, espousing the cause of slavery
restriction, named Martin Van Buren as its presidential candidate
and polled enough votes in the election of 1848 to defeat Cass,
the Democratic candidate. It did not survive the election of
1852, but its essential principle was adopted by the Republican
party.
Since the Civil War, the currency question has twice given life
to third-party movements. The Greenbacks of 1876-1884 and the
Populists of the 90's were both of the West.
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