The following questions refer to the excerpt below.
"I am not a Know Nothing.That is certain.How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes,be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid.As a nation,we began declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal,except negroes." When the Know Nothings get control,it will read "all men are created equal except negroes,and foreigners,and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty-to Russia,for instance…"
Abraham Lincoln,letter to Joshua Street,August 1855
-The "classes of white people" that Lincoln references were most likely

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lincoln specifically mentions "foreigners" as a group that would be degraded by the Know Nothings, and Irish immigrants were a large group of "foreigners" at the time.

The Following Questions Refer to the Excerpt Below