During the mid-to-late 19th century, Irish and German immigrants faced vastly different treatments in the United States, though both encountered significant "Nativist" hostility. Irish immigrants, fleeing the Great Famine, were often impoverished and Catholic, which led to intense discrimination from the Protestant majority. They were frequently depicted in media as "ape-like" or unruly and faced the infamous "No Irish Need Apply" (NINA) signs for jobs. They were largely relegated to dangerous, low-wage labor like canal digging and domestic service. In contrast, German immigrants were often viewed with slightly more respect because many arrived with specialized skills, some capital, and a background in farming. They were able to move further inland to the "German Belt" (Midwest) and establish self-sufficient communities. However, Germans still faced backlash, particularly regarding their "clannish" behavior and their preservation of the German language and "Beer Gardens," which clashed with American temperance movements. Both groups were targets of the "Know-Nothing" Party, which sought to limit their political influence, but while the Irish were often viewed as a "racial" threat to American labor, the Germans were more often seen as a cultural threat to American "moral" standards.