Its shadowy beginnings, and popular nickname, meant it would eventually go down in history as somewhat of a joke. Yet in their time, the Know-Nothings made their dangerous presence known, and at the time no one was laughing.
The party unsuccessfully ran candidates for president, including, in one disastrous effort, former president Millard Fillmore.
While the party failed at the national level, in local races the anti-immigrant message was often very popular. Adherents to the Know-Nothing’s strident message also served in Congress and at various local levels of government