<論説>大量移民の流入とノーナッシング党

Abstract

アメリカは「移民の国」といわれる。なかでも十九世紀中葉の合衆国大西洋岸には、初の大量移民の波が打ち寄せていた。にもかかわらず、従来、アメリカ史研究において、移民はあまり論じられていないように思われる。故に本稿では、一八五〇年代の初の大規模な反移民運動であるノーナッシング党に焦点を絞り、アイルランド、ドイツ人を中心とする移民の大量流入に対する多数派社会の対応として、ノーナッシング党の成長を論じたい。とりわけ、同党の中心目標が、「移民の政治参加制限」である事から、「民族票」、なかでも移民の多く流入した北部の諸都市の「民族票」とアメリカ政治の関わりが、一八五〇年代のアメリカ社会を考える上で重要な論点になると考えられるのである。それ故、上述の観点から、一八五〇年代の大量移民のアメリカ政治への影響と、アメリカ社会の反応の一端を、本稿において明らかにしたい。

Between 1853 and 1856, the fastest growing political force in many parts of the United States was not the anti-slavery, but the anti-foreign Know Nothing movement. Just when the outrage at the Nebraska Act should have been strongest, many people were apparently more concerned about immigrants, especially about the restriction on the suffrage of foreigners which was the main theme of Know Nothing platforms. What accounts for this rapid growth of Know Nothing party? In the 1850s, at the time of mass immigration, most of poor, unwanted immigrants, who could not afford to move on to the frontier, set about establishing ethnic communities in the cities. Besides, the case study on Irish in New York City throws light on the impact of the immigrant groups on the city and local politics. Therefore, it is assumed that the growing ethnic communities and their participation in politics as a group threatened the "older" society and at last let to the formation of Know Nothing party. It is true that Know Nothing party collapsed in a few years, but it does not mean that the immigrant issues disappeared or became beneath their notice. Those issues survived in local platforms of Republican party although the Know Nothing party fragmented as soon as it's fragile national organization got entangled in the sectional disputes.