Lewis Charles Levin
Encyclopedia
Lewis Charles Levin was a Philadelphia politician, prominent Know Nothing
, and anti-Catholic social activist of the 1840s and 1850s. He served three terms in Congress (U.S. House of Representatives, 1845–51), representing the Pennsylvania 1st District. Levin is considered to have been the first Jewish Congressman
Lewis Charles Levin was born in Charleston, South Carolina
and graduated from South Carolina College (later the University of South Carolina
) in 1828. He then briefly taught school in Woodville, Mississippi
, but had to quit town after being wounded in a duel. Levin then read and practiced law in Maryland and Kentucky.
Levin's anti-alcohol crusade proved to be excellent preparation for his next cause, a campaign against Catholic political power, which he carried on in two papers, the Native American and The Daily Sun. Initially the main political issue was a 1843 public school ruling permitting Catholic children to be excused from Bible-reading class (because the Protestant King James Version was being used). Levin became the leader and chief spokesman for a start-up political movement calling itself the American Republican Party
(later the American Nativist Party). Between May and July 1844 he gave speeches and led public demonstrations in Kensington and Southwark, leading to the looting and burning of several dozen houses, businesses and religious buildings. Levin and his colleague Samuel R. Kramer (publisher of the Native American) were arrested and fined for "exciting to riot and treason" in inciting locals to invade and burn several Catholic churches and a convent.
Shortly after the 1844 Philadelphia riots, Levin ran for Congress and was elected on his party's platform, to wit: (1) to extend the period of naturalization to twenty-one years;
(2) to elect only native born to all offices; (3) to reject foreign interference in all institutions, social, religious, and political.
Levin was returned to Congress in 1846 and 1848. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Engraving during the Thirtieth Congress, 1847-48. (As a side note, it was this Thirtieth Congress that saw a young Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln
serve his one and only term in the House.)
Levin and other Nativists helped tilt the 1852 Presidential election toward Democrat Franklin Pierce and away from the Whigs' candidate, the popular Mexican War leader General Winfield Scott
. There were Catholics in Scott's family and he was accused of Papist connections. Levin was an organizing speaker of the first Know-Nothing Party convention in March 1855. Though in notably failing health, he was a featured speaker at the American Order's rally that autumn in a New York City park.
Levin was enraged and disgusted by the new Republican Party's nomination of John C. Frémont
for President, at their convention in Philadelphia in June 1856. He wrote a lengthy diatribe against Frémont, which he delivered at a rally in Philadelphia's National Hall (now Independence Hall) shortly after Millard Fillmore
had been nominated by both the Know Nothings and the Whigs. However, Frémont partisans pulled him off the stand. According to newspaper reports, Levin suffered a complete mental collapse and became so "deranged" that he was placed in the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane, where he died of "Insanity" in March 1860. Levin was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
, in Philadelphia. After his death, his wife and child converted to Catholicism, independently of each other.
party is sometimes deemed a paradox, despite the fact he was native-born himself. His opposition was not to immigration
as such but rather to Catholicism
; he eagerly sought support from non-Catholic immigrants.http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaster%20Archives/philadelphia.htm It is a mark of his skill that he was able to equate "nativism" with anti-Catholicism
, and to do so in Philadelphia, where sectarian animosity had historically been minimal, and where native-born Catholics had lived side-by-side with Anglicans, Quakers, and others since the Colonial period.
Levin was one of the most popular public speakers of his era, often quoted and anthologized, and painted by America's leading portraitist, Rembrandt Peale. In 1905 a veteran Pennsylvania journalist and politician, Alexander Kelly McClure, recalled Levin as one of the shrewdest and most persuasive politicians of the period http://books.google.com/books?id=PGPeYW58OngC&pg=RA33-PA410&lpg=RA33-PA410&dq=old+time+notes+of+pennsylvania&source=web&ots=HuEk9B1YGU&sig=xCihx9TOJ9-9GT9EcZMMkYdypVQ#PRA3-PR6,M1:
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
, and anti-Catholic social activist of the 1840s and 1850s. He served three terms in Congress (U.S. House of Representatives, 1845–51), representing the Pennsylvania 1st District. Levin is considered to have been the first Jewish Congressman
Lewis Charles Levin was born in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and graduated from South Carolina College (later the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
) in 1828. He then briefly taught school in Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2000 census.The Woodville Republican, a weekly newspaper founded in 1823, is the oldest surviving business in Mississippi.-Geography:Woodville is located at .According to...
, but had to quit town after being wounded in a duel. Levin then read and practiced law in Maryland and Kentucky.
Philadelphia Riots and Election to Congress
By 1838 Levin was in Philadelphia and giving public lectures on the evils of alcohol. He founded and edited a journal called the Temperance Advocate. In 1842 he staged an immense public "bonfire of booze" to draw attention to his campaign against taverns and for local control of liquor licensing.Levin's anti-alcohol crusade proved to be excellent preparation for his next cause, a campaign against Catholic political power, which he carried on in two papers, the Native American and The Daily Sun. Initially the main political issue was a 1843 public school ruling permitting Catholic children to be excused from Bible-reading class (because the Protestant King James Version was being used). Levin became the leader and chief spokesman for a start-up political movement calling itself the American Republican Party
American Republican Party
The American Republican Party was a minor nativist political organization that was launched in New York in June 1843, largely as a protest against immigrant voters and officeholders. In 1844, it carried municipal elections in New York City and Philadelphia and expanded so rapidly that by July,...
(later the American Nativist Party). Between May and July 1844 he gave speeches and led public demonstrations in Kensington and Southwark, leading to the looting and burning of several dozen houses, businesses and religious buildings. Levin and his colleague Samuel R. Kramer (publisher of the Native American) were arrested and fined for "exciting to riot and treason" in inciting locals to invade and burn several Catholic churches and a convent.
Shortly after the 1844 Philadelphia riots, Levin ran for Congress and was elected on his party's platform, to wit: (1) to extend the period of naturalization to twenty-one years;
(2) to elect only native born to all offices; (3) to reject foreign interference in all institutions, social, religious, and political.
Levin was returned to Congress in 1846 and 1848. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Engraving during the Thirtieth Congress, 1847-48. (As a side note, it was this Thirtieth Congress that saw a young Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
serve his one and only term in the House.)
Scandal, Insanity, and Death
After leaving Congress in 1851, Levin continued to campaign for the Native American or Know-Nothing movement, as it became known. He attempted to campaign for U.S. Senator, which prior to the 17th Amendment was a seat elected by the state legislature rather than by popular vote. Levin was accused of bribing members of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and was subpoenaed by a state investigation in February 1855. The findings were inconclusive but Levin never again held office.Levin and other Nativists helped tilt the 1852 Presidential election toward Democrat Franklin Pierce and away from the Whigs' candidate, the popular Mexican War leader General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
. There were Catholics in Scott's family and he was accused of Papist connections. Levin was an organizing speaker of the first Know-Nothing Party convention in March 1855. Though in notably failing health, he was a featured speaker at the American Order's rally that autumn in a New York City park.
Levin was enraged and disgusted by the new Republican Party's nomination of John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
for President, at their convention in Philadelphia in June 1856. He wrote a lengthy diatribe against Frémont, which he delivered at a rally in Philadelphia's National Hall (now Independence Hall) shortly after Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
had been nominated by both the Know Nothings and the Whigs. However, Frémont partisans pulled him off the stand. According to newspaper reports, Levin suffered a complete mental collapse and became so "deranged" that he was placed in the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane, where he died of "Insanity" in March 1860. Levin was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
, in Philadelphia. After his death, his wife and child converted to Catholicism, independently of each other.
Legacy
Lewis Levin's role in a nativistNativism (politics)
Nativism favors the interests of certain established inhabitants of an area or nation as compared to claims of newcomers or immigrants. It may also include the re-establishment or perpetuation of such individuals or their culture....
party is sometimes deemed a paradox, despite the fact he was native-born himself. His opposition was not to immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
as such but rather to Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
; he eagerly sought support from non-Catholic immigrants.http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaster%20Archives/philadelphia.htm It is a mark of his skill that he was able to equate "nativism" with anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
, and to do so in Philadelphia, where sectarian animosity had historically been minimal, and where native-born Catholics had lived side-by-side with Anglicans, Quakers, and others since the Colonial period.
Levin was one of the most popular public speakers of his era, often quoted and anthologized, and painted by America's leading portraitist, Rembrandt Peale. In 1905 a veteran Pennsylvania journalist and politician, Alexander Kelly McClure, recalled Levin as one of the shrewdest and most persuasive politicians of the period http://books.google.com/books?id=PGPeYW58OngC&pg=RA33-PA410&lpg=RA33-PA410&dq=old+time+notes+of+pennsylvania&source=web&ots=HuEk9B1YGU&sig=xCihx9TOJ9-9GT9EcZMMkYdypVQ#PRA3-PR6,M1:
A brilliant adventurer named Lewis C. Levin, a native of Charleston, S.C., and a peripatetic law practitioner, first in South Carolina, next in Maryland, next in Louisiana, next in Kentucky and finally in Pennsylvania, was the acknowledged leader of the Native American element that had erupted during the summer of 1844 in what is remembered as the disgraceful riots of that year in which Catholic churches and institutions were burnt by the mob...
He was one of the most brilliant and unscrupulous orators I have ever heard. He presented a fine appearance, graceful in every action charming in rhetoric and utterly reckless in assertion. I have heard him both as a temperance and political orator, and I doubt whether during his day any person in either party of the State surpassed him on the hustings. He was elected by a good majority and was re-elected in 1846 and '48, thus serving six consecutive years as a representative from the city.
(Old Time Notes of Pennsylvania, 1905, pp. 84-85.)