Know Nothing Party Botches Washington Monument Construction April 27 2014
The Know Nothing Party, a distant relative of the current Republican Party, wanted to purify the country by limiting immigration and ending the influence of liberal Irish Catholics, They were in charge of raising money for the construction of the Washington Monument, but so botched the job that construction was halted for nearly 30 years. By encouraging every state to donate commemorative stones that could be fitted into the interior walls, the Know Nothings unleashed a partisan fury. Many of the the donated stones did not commemorate George Washington, but rather promoted agendas such as temperance and atheism. One stone, donated by Pope Pius IX, was stolen by the Know Nothings and thrown into the Potomac due to their fervent anti-Catholic views.