<P> Nativism became a major issue in the late 1790s, when the Federalist Party expressed its strong opposition to the French Revolution by trying to strictly limit immigration, and stretching the time to 14 years for citizenship . At the time of the Quasi-War with France in 1798, the Federalists and Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, including the Alien Act, the Naturalization Act and the Sedition Act . The movement was led by Alexander Hamilton, despite his own status as an immigrant from a small Island . Phillip Magness argues that "Hamilton's political career might legitimately be characterized as a sustained drift into nationalistic xenophobia ." Thomas Jefferson and James Madison fought by drafting the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions . The two laws against aliens were motivated by fears of a growing Irish radical presence in Philadelphia, where they supported Jefferson . However, they were not actually enforced . President John Adams annoyed his fellow Federalists by making peace with France, and splitting his party in 1800 . Jefferson was elected president, and reversed most of the hostile legislation . </P> <P> The term "nativism" was first used by 1844: "Thousands were Naturalized expressly to oppose Nativism, and voted the Polk ticket mainly to that end ." </P> <P> Nativism gained its name from the "Native American" parties of the 1840s and 1850s . In this context "Native" does not mean indigenous Americans or American Indians but rather those descended from the inhabitants of the original Thirteen Colonies . It impacted politics in the mid-19th century because of the large inflows of immigrants after 1845 from cultures that were different from the existing American culture . Nativists objected primarily to Irish Roman Catholics because of their loyalty to the Pope and also because of their supposed rejection of republicanism as an American ideal . </P> <P> Nativist movements included the Know Nothing or American Party of the 1850s, the Immigration Restriction League of the 1890s, the anti-Asian movements in the West, resulting in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the "Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907" by which Japan's government stopped emigration to the United States . Labor unions were strong supporters of Chinese exclusion and limits on immigration, because of fears that they would lower wages and make it harder for workers to organize unions . </P>

Why did nativism increase during the early 19th century