Final answer:
Nativism in the late 1800s was aimed at Asian immigrants, Jewish immigrants, and others such as Catholics and southern and eastern Europeans. Nativists believed these groups threatened the American way of life and supported legislation to restrict their immigration, culminating in laws such as the National Origins Act of 1924.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nativism in the late 1800s was focused on Asian immigrants, Jewish immigrants, and other groups such as Catholics, immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, and ironically, Native Americans. Nativists aimed to protect the interests of what they considered 'native' Americans against those of newcomers. They viewed the new immigrants with suspicion and often hostility, believing they posed a threat to the social, cultural, and racial fabric of American society. This sentiment was exacerbated by events like the anarchist assassinations and the Bolshevik Revolution, which heightened fears of a foreign or communist threat among those already predisposed to distrust immigrants.
In an effort to restrict immigration, nativists formed organizations such as the American Protective Association and the Immigration Restriction League. These groups were instrumental in the passing of immigration restriction acts, like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the National Origins Act of 1924, both of which aimed to limit the flow of immigrants from regions that nativists found less desirable.