Knownothingism

Knownothingism (pronounced noh-nuhth-ing-is-uhm)

A humorous coining to describe the American Party (1855 on) based on a stock reply the members were instructed to use if asked probing questions.

1855: A compound word, know + nothing+ -ism.  Know is from the Middle English knowen, from the Old English cnāwan (to know, perceive, recognise), from the Proto-Germanic knēaną (to know), from the primitive Indo-European ǵneh- (to know).  Nothing is from the Middle English noon thing, non thing, na þing, nan thing & nan þing, from the Old English nāþing & nān þing (nothing (literally “not any thing”)) and was equivalent to no +‎ thing (and can be compared with the Old English nāwiht (nothing (literally “no thing”)) and the Swedish ingenting (nothing (literally “not any thing”, “no thing”)).  The –ism suffix was from the Ancient Greek ισμός (ismós) & -isma noun suffixes, often directly, sometimes through the Latin –ismus & isma (from where English picked up ize) and sometimes through the French –isme or the German –ismus, all ultimately from the Ancient Greek (where it tended more specifically to express a finished act or thing done).  It appeared in loanwords from Greek, where it was used to form abstract nouns of action, state, condition or doctrine from verbs and on this model, was used as a productive suffix in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, state or condition, principles, doctrines, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence (criticism; barbarism; Darwinism; despotism; plagiarism; realism; witticism etc).

Knowing nothing

A nineteenth century US political phenomenon, the Know Nothing Party was originally a secret society known as the Order of the Star Spangled Banner (OSSB) which, like organisations such as the Freemasons or the Secret Society of the Les Clefs d’Or, featured rites of initiation, passwords, hand signs and demanded of its members a solemn pledge never to betray the order.  One practical measure was an instruction to members, if asked probing questions about the society, to answer only “I know nothing.”  The phrase was widely reported and members of the OSSB, despite many name-changes, were always known as “the know nothings”.  As a tactic in politics, there is much to commend it, as easy as it is for one to talk one’s way into trouble, it’s easier still to avoid it by saying nothing.

The roots of the party lay in New York City politics, emerging in 1843 as the American Republican Party, spawning a number of forks in different states which in 1853 merged, becoming the OSSB.  In this form, seeking national influence, it was re-branded, firstly in 1854 as the Native American Party and a year later, the American Party.  Sounding surprisingly modern, Trumpesque even, (as opposed to emulating Crooked Hillary Clinton which would be described as "knoweverythingism") the platform supported deportation of foreign beggars and criminals, a twenty-one year naturalization period for immigrants and mandatory Bible reading in schools.  Their stated aim was to restore their vision of what America should look like: a society underpinned by temperance, Protestantism and self-reliance with the American nationality and work ethic enshrined as the nation's highest values; a kind of Make America Great Again vibe.  Their especial concern was the infiltration of Roman Catholics and the influence of the Pope and they advocated the dismissal of all Catholics from public office.  In this vein, their catchy campaign slogan was “Rum, Romanism and Ruin”.

The Know Nothings in Louisiana (2018) by By Marius M. Carriere Jr, University Press of Mississippi, 230pp.

The Know Nothings were the American political system’s first major third party. In the early nineteenth century, the two parties leftover from the revolution were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.  Later would come the National Republicans, the Whigs, the Democrats and the Republicans but it was the Know Nothings which filled the political vacuum even as the Whigs were disintegrating.  They were the first party to leverage economic concerns over immigration as a major part of their platform and though short-lived, the values and positions of the Know Nothings ultimately contributed to the two-party system which has characterised US politics since the 1860s.