WA Territory 1860-1885 Indians & Unequal Justice Battle of Seattle & Leschi Seattle & Other Emerging Towns Railroads & Land Grants Panic of 1873 Racism in the NW Chinese Exclusion Act
Seattle 1855 What s this area today?
Seattle 1855 Pioneer Square
Downtown Seattle Today
Seattle 1855 What did the Salish people called this place. Crossing Over Place
1856 -Several coastal tribes were upset over their small reservations Treaty 1855 Nisqually Reservation: Total Area: 2 sq mi
Battle of Seattle & Chief Leschi - 1856 Leschi was Chief of the Nisqually Nation & is angry over the loss of tribal lands. Leschi participated in the "Battle of Seattle" on January 26, 1856. Indians attacked & burned settler homes along the outskirts of the Seattle. 2 settlers were killed.
Battle of Puget Sound Several Indian bands attack Seattle
Battle of Seattle & Chief Leschi - 1856
Battle of Seattle & Chief Leschi - 1856 Hostilities ended after a couple of days. After the battle, Leschi was arrested for murder. He was convicted and hanged. Why was the hanging unjust? He was a soldier in a war. Deaths from battle murder
Indian hostilities end by 1860 s The US military overpowers armed resistance.
1860 s Emerging Towns WA Territory Spokane Olympia Seattle Tacoma Walla Walla
1860 s Emerging Industry to Washington Territory Seattle fishing, logging, seaport, coal mining in King County Tacoma fishing, logging, seaport Olympia fishing, logging, territorial capital Walla Walla mining, agriculture Spokane mining, agriculture, transportation hub
Immigration to Washington Territory 1. Americans from eastern US 2. From Europe. - Scandinavian, Irish, Dutch, German 3. Chinese, then Japanese & Hawaiians, later Filipinos
Chinese in Washington Territory Chinese first arrived to WA Territory in the 1850 s Most came from California Some to look for gold Others fleeing discrimination laws in CA
Chinese in Washington Territory Most of the Chinese that emigrated to the US came from the Guangdung (Kwangtung) Province in southeast China. The province was hit hard by famine during the nid- 1800 s.
1870 s Railroads build westward
1870 - NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY Railroad construction begins in 1870, completed in 1883 Railroad companies employ large numbers of Chinese laborers.
Railroads and US Government Why would the government be interested in seeing these lines completed? With the end of the Civil War, the US government is interested in further unifying the country Connects the West to the rest of the US Railroads are a strategic investment Able to move military & goods across country
Railroads and US Government What is a subsidy? $$$ support, you don t have to pay back. Why were subsidies needed by the railroad companies? The railroad lines cover a great distance, making it expensive to build. Sparse population out West, so not very many customers Without subsidies, railroads could not be built. They would lose so much money, no one would invest in them
Subsidy = Land Grants
Land Grants US government gives public land along the planned railway lines to the railroad companies.
What did the railroad companies do with the land? Prairie lands.. Sold as farmland (mostly to European immigrants) Forest lands in the NW.. Sold timber from their lands to lumber mills. ALSO: Sold some of their land to timber companies (Weyerhaeuser)
Economic Depression in 1873
Panic of 1873 Panic = Economic Depression Many industries and stocks became over-valued by 1872 Stock prices fall dramatically Credit that was once easy to get, now became very difficult to get. Without loans, people could not buy or invest. Many people borrowed money to invest in stock market and other things. Falling stock prices & business downturns mean they can t pay back the loans. Many default. Banks fail.
Effects of 1873 Panic Average wages fell 25% Economic production fell 24% Double-digit unemployment for over 10 years. Unemployment rate ranged from 10-20% Railroads went bankrupt. Speculators bought failed railroads for cheap and continued construction
1883 Railroad completed
1883 Railroad completed. Now what? With the railroad completed, many Chinese laborers are laid off by the railroad companies Many Chinese move to towns and cities to find work Unemployment is still high in the early 1880 s, so there is little work to be found Chinese often accept work for less money compared to a white worker.
Chinese laborers return from the railroads, looking for work in the NW
Resentment over high unemployment: Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese Exclusion Act http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwiav7ytqle
Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 Federal law signed by President Chester Arthur One of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in U.S. history, prohibiting virtually all immigration of Chinese into the US. It was finally repealed by the Magnuson Act on December 17, 1943.
Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 The act also denied any opportunity for Chinese immigrants living in the US to become US citizens. The Act, along with local laws passed in California, Oregon, & Washington, greatly restricted where Chinese could live. A big reason why West Coast cities had their own Chinatowns. Law wasn t repealed until 1943.
Tacoma Expulsion of 600 Chinese, November 1885 Posters invited townsfolk to meetings to "consider the Chinese question. Citizens as well as city officials, along with Knights of Labor union members were all intent on ridding their town of Chinese. On the night of the expulsion.. Pre-selected "committees" roamed through town, forcing Chinese residents out of their homes and businesses and into the streets.
Tacoma Expulsion of Chinese More than 600 Chinese were rounded up at gunpoint and herded to the rail depot at Seventh and Pacific Avenues in Tacoma. Two Chinese victims died overnight due to exposure. By 3 a.m. most had been put on a train headed to Portland or San Francisco. Some eventually returned to China.
Feb 1886 -- More than half of Seattle's Chinese was forced onto ships before the city government can intervene
Chinese Population Changes in Seattle Total Population in Seattle in 1880: 3,500
Japanese replace the Chinese As immigration was all but prohibited to Chinese, Japanese immigration began in the mid-1880s and continuing into the 1900 s Many Japanese immigrants (the Issei) took up the labors the Chinese did, including railroad work. Others took to farming and starting small businesses.