Importantly, Lincoln expressed his opposition to the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic Know Nothings while actively working to recruit Know Nothings into a fusion with former Democrats, Whigs, and Free Soilers to form the new Republican Party.
Stephen WestA reminder of what Abraham Lincoln thought of the Know Nothings, the party that championed "heritage Americans" and attacked immigrants in his day. quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/li...