Which group feared that immigrants would take jobs and threaten social norms?

• A. Progressives
• B. Nativists
• C. Radicals
• D. Industrialists

Answer: (B)

This question is about nativism—the idea that native-born Americans should be protected from newcomers who are seen as threats to jobs and to traditional ways of life. Nativists argued that immigration would competitions for labor, driving down wages, and would also strain schools, churches, and the cultural fabric of the country. They stressed preserving established social norms, language, and religious practices, and they often pushed for immigration restrictions as a way to shield the native population.

In U.S. history, this mindset became especially prominent as large waves of immigrants arrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Advocates of this view supported measures like literacy tests and quotas to limit who could come in, aiming to curb perceived threats to economic stability and social cohesion.

This perspective is distinct from reform-minded progressives, who focused on broad social and economic reforms; radicals, who called for sweeping political change; and industrialists, who often valued immigrant labor for keeping production costs down. The fear that immigrants would take jobs and threaten social norms points to nativist thinking as the best fit for the description.