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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 511 |
| 1884 | 326 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 361 |
| 1887 | 327 |
2,189 stories
- The Judge's Warning Against Mob Rule in 1885 Seattle
Facing rising anti-Chinese violence, Chief Justice Greene of Washington Territory warned grand jurors that economic cycles and social grievances do not justify the 'folly of Xerxes'—mob violence.
- The Mob Rule Crisis of 1885
Across Washington Territory, mass meetings and organized labor groups began a campaign of forced expulsion against Chinese laborers, creating a climate of terror and lawlessness that divided the region's residents.
- The Campaign to Purge Seattle’s Chinatown
In 1885, as anti-Chinese sentiment surged across the Pacific Northwest, a Seattle city official led a raid on the city's Chinatown, marking an early, aggressive move in the movement to drive the Chinese community out of the city.
- The Governor’s Plea for Order During the Anti-Chinese Riots
Governor Watson C. Squire issues a stern warning against the vigilante violence sweeping across Puget Sound in 1885.
- The Expulsion from Seattle
While Washington Territory’s leaders exchanged telegrams regarding the forced removal of Chinese residents from Tacoma, the Seattle press reported on the 'peaceable' but total displacement of the city's Chinese population.
- The Violent Expulsion of Seattle's Chinese Community
In November 1885, following the forced removal of Chinese residents in Tacoma, a tense public meeting at the Seattle Opera House debated the 'Chinese Question' while labor leaders and city elites sought to avoid the bloodshed that defined neighboring towns.
- The Rule of Law in the Face of Mob Violence
In 1885, a Seattle judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a grand jury and the public, condemning anti-Chinese conspiracy and defending the right of all laborers—regardless of race or origin—to equal protection under the law.
- The Expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese Residents
A celebratory procession and public speeches in Tacoma mark the return of twenty-seven men indicted for the forced removal of the city's Chinese population.
- The Governor’s Tightrope Walk During the Anti-Chinese Riots
How local officials navigated the tense atmosphere in Seattle before the arrival of federal troops in 1885.
- 1885 Editorial Urges Chinese Exclusion in Washington Territory
A committee of Seattle citizens formalizes their campaign to purge the city of Chinese laborers, framing their economic anxiety as a struggle for the 'Caucasian race.'
- Federal Troops Sent to Seattle to Quell Anti-Chinese Violence
President Grover Cleveland’s 1885 message to Congress highlights the deployment of federal troops to Seattle and Wyoming to protect Chinese laborers from mob violence.
- Midnight Panic at the St. Cloud
A spectacular five-story blaze in downtown Seattle forces guests to flee in their nightclothes, leaving a landmark hotel in ruins.
- The Politics of Exclusion: A Night at the Bijou
In 1886, a raucous meeting at Seattle’s Bijou theater formalized the 'Committee of Fifteen,' marking a volatile era of organized expulsion and nativist labor politics.
- Under the Provost Marshal: Seattle’s Martial Law
When the city was placed under military rule during the anti-Chinese riots of 1886, residents faced a new, forced reality of curfews, passes, and armed sentries on every corner.
- The Riot of 1886: Seattle’s Dark Chapter of Exclusion
A state-sanctioned mob forces Chinese residents from their homes, leading to martial law and a bloody confrontation at the wharf.
- The Seattle Militia Stands at the Edge of Chaos
Amid the anti-Chinese riots of 1886, a citizen militia maintains order against mob rule, setting a precedent for territorial authority.
- The Siege of Seattle: When Martial Law Came to the Waterfront
As anti-Chinese riots gripped Seattle in February 1886, Governor Watson Squire declared martial law, bringing in federal troops to suppress the violence and restore order at the docks.
- The Seattle Press Defends its Role During the Anti-Chinese Riots
An editorial response to outside critics claiming local newspapers incited the February 7th expulsion violence.
- The 1886 Pact to Purge Chinese Laborers from Seattle Canneries
Newly unearthed documentation reveals a formal agreement between cannery owners and the Knights of Labor to replace all Chinese workers with white employees by September 1886.
- Vigilante Raids Target Chinese Vegetable Gardens
Armed men terrorize Chinese laborers in outskirts of Seattle, burning property and driving families from their homes.
- The Iron Foundry vs. The Anti-Chinese Movement
A vigilante mob of Seattle ironworkers forces the departure of Chinese laborers on a steamer to San Francisco.
- The Martial Law Panic of 1886
As armed vigilantes patrolled Seattle, labor leaders turned to the President of the United States to stop a coup by force.
- The Bay View Massacre: A Bloody End to the Labor Strike
A violent confrontation between striking freight handlers and authorities in Bay View leaves six dead and several wounded, marking a grim escalation in regional labor unrest.
- The Riot and the 'Queen City'
Mayor Henry Yesler recounts the dark days of the 1886 anti-Chinese riots and the subsequent rise of the 'Home Guards' in Seattle.
- The Riot-Scarred Streets of 1886
A critical look at the Seattle City Council’s tepid handling of the anti-Chinese riots, as the city struggles with the legacy of mob violence.