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157 stories matching freedom
- Seattle's Streets Were Made of Wood. The Fight to Pave Them Was On.
A City Council vote for brick on Pike Street signaled the end of makeshift plank roads—if Seattle could stomach the first cost.
- The Single-Tax Candidate Takes the Stage
J. Ercanbrack Jones details his vision for municipal reform, advocating for the taxation of land values over labor and improvements in his bid for Seattle mayor.
- The Brutal Doctrine of 'Root Hog or Die'
A Seattle newspaper editorial argues for the forced assimilation and dispossession of Indigenous people, mirroring the era's harshest colonial policies.
- The Orphan’s Plea: A Poem That Moved Seattle to Tears on Decoration Day
As the city honored Civil War dead with solemn processions and speeches, a young girl’s grief over her father’s unmarked grave brought the Grand Marshal to tears.
- The Judge Who Declared Unions Illegal
In a landmark charge to the grand jury in 1893, Chief Justice Thomas Burke declared that any combination of workers preventing employment was a 'conspiracy against the law of the land,' effectively criminalizing the labor movement before Washington even became a state.
- The Bank Robbers' Wild Escape in Ellensburg
Two notorious robbers jailed in Ellensburg staged a daring jailbreak, shot a local boy, and held a family hostage during a chaotic afternoon standoff.
- The Wooden Revolver That Freed Ten Prisoners
Thomas Blanck held a jailer hostage with a carved fake gun, emptied the King County jail, and vanished into Seattle's streets.
- The Right to Protect a Source in 1887 Seattle
A landmark court ruling in Seattle established that a journalist cannot be legally compelled to reveal their sources, protecting the freedom of the press in the burgeoning territory.
- Rabies Scare Grips the Valley
A rabies outbreak among coyotes and livestock forces a town-wide quarantine, pitting the health of the public against the freedom of household pets.
- The Ferryman of the Dark River
An encounter on the waterfront reveals the quiet, lingering melancholy of a man reflecting on the 'old timey days' and the hard reality of post-slavery life.
- Everett Labor Union Defies Federal Judiciary Over Free Speech
In a fiery resolution, the Central Labor Union of Everett declares Judge Daniel T. Wright's injunctions against union leaders an unconstitutional assault on American liberty.
- Gubernatorial Hopeful Roland Hartley Blasts Unions in Kennewick
The Republican candidate for governor made a campaign stop in Kennewick, attacking labor unions from his automobile while promising 'industrial freedom.'
- A Seattle League Wants Workers to Share the Profits—and the Losses
In the wake of labor unrest, a new Seattle group of employers and union men proposes profit-sharing as a cure for strikes, pointing to a company town in Illinois as proof it can work.
- An Irish Martyr’s Memory
A fiery speech at the Seattle branch of the Irish National League draws parallels between the American Revolution and the Irish struggle for independence.
- The Tiny Republic of Anacortes: Boys, Shells, and Self-Government
In 1893, a group of Anacortes boys turned beachcombing into a natural-history club with a constitution, dues, and an exhibition that drew the whole town.
- The Tragedy of Mamie's Pet Deer
A pet deer, raised with the freedom of a house cat, is senselessly killed by a hunter in the Skagit Valley.
- The Jailbreak at the County Bastille
After allegedly stealing railroad tickets, a jailbird finds his freedom thanks to a lapse in security and a sympathetic sheriff.
- The Girls' Camp at Whidbey Island
A group of twenty young ladies establish a summer encampment in the wilderness of Whidbey Island, embracing the freedom of life away from the city.
- The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and Accused
In a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.
- Mutiny at Port Townsend
A newly arrived crew refuses duty and fights for their freedom aboard a bark in the harbor.
- The Man Who Shook Hands with History
President Roosevelt’s visit to Walla Walla sparked a political firestorm and a rare moment of cross-cultural connection.
- The Plot to Lock Up a Witness: How Greed Tried to Silence a Pioneer
William De Shaw, a respected Seattle merchant and witness to a will worth millions in British Columbia, was nearly committed to an insane asylum by land speculators who wanted his testimony silenced.
- The Schoolteacher vs. The Coal Baron
An outspoken Newcastle teacher risks his career to confront the Oregon Improvement Company over its brutal labor practices and the displacement of local widows.
- Judge Rebukes Police for Secret Dungeon Methods
A citizen is released after being held incommunicado for days, sparking a public outcry over lawless police tactics.
- The Price of Freedom: A City Treasurer's Bond
While a train wreck delayed the arrival of accused city treasurer Adolph Krug, his friends and family scrambled through the midnight hours to meet a $64,000 bail requirement.
Also about this, in other words
- The Foundation of Washington State’s Civil Liberties
A look back at the original constitutional guarantees of free speech, property rights, and due process that shaped early Snohomish and the state.
- The Struggle for Liberty in the Boomtown
Aberdeen celebrates Independence Day with political oratory, sports, and a reflection on the economic tensions of 1894.
- The Price of Freedom
A local man chooses to serve time in the county jail rather than have his cash bond seized to pay his legal fines.
- “Close Your Gates to Us — But Give Us Independence First”
A Filipino student in Seattle goes before the Labor Union's legislative committee to head off an exclusion bill, and finds the union men surprisingly reasonable — because independence, he argues, gives them exactly what they want anyway.
- The Fight for the Soil: Washington's Early Constitutional Crisis
An 1870s editorial argues that without strict land ownership caps, Washington Territory faces a future of feudalism and labor exploitation.
- The Fourth of July in Olympia at the Height of the Civil War
A fervent address by Elwood Evans calls for absolute loyalty to the Union as the Territory celebrates the nation’s independence during its 'most tearful trial.'
- Daring Escape from the County Jail
Two prisoners blinded the jailer with a chemical powder before stealing his weapon and vanishing into the woods.
- Seattle's Grand Independence Day Jubilee
A massive display of civic pride, featuring a grand parade of labor unions, military companies, and elaborate trade floats, marks the most ambitious celebration in the city’s history.