How did Nativism affect American attitudes toward foreigners?

The term “nativism” can be defined in somewhat different ways.  For example, one of the links below defines nativism as the

belief that protects or favors the interest of the native population of a country over the interests of immigrants.

The other link puts things more bluntly.  It says that nativism is “anti-immigrant sentiment.”  I tend to lean toward this second definition.  Nativism is an attitude that prefers natives of one’s own country and which,...

The term “nativism” can be defined in somewhat different ways.  For example, one of the links below defines nativism as the

belief that protects or favors the interest of the native population of a country over the interests of immigrants.

The other link puts things more bluntly.  It says that nativism is “anti-immigrant sentiment.”  I tend to lean toward this second definition.  Nativism is an attitude that prefers natives of one’s own country and which, importantly, is hostile to immigrants.

Nativism, then, is itself an attitude towards foreigners.  Americans have, at many points in our history, held nativist views.  This was especially true in the mid-1800s, when the Know-Nothings were strongly opposed to Irish immigrants and around the 1920s, when the KKK and others were opposed to immigrants, particularly those from Southern and Eastern Europe.

It is hard to say that nativism affected American attitudes towards foreigners because nativism is actually an attitude towards foreigners.  We can say, however, that nativist attitudes led many Americans to oppose immigration and to have very negative views of foreigners and immigrants.