The Exclusionist Policies of the American House
A Seattle boarding house advertises a 'No Chinese Employed' policy, reflecting the volatile labor and racial tensions of the 19th-century Pacific Northwest.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
American House. George Welsh, Prop. Mill Street, near Yesler's Landing, Seattle, W.T. Board and lodging per week, $4.00 to $6.00 according to room occupied. Meals and beds 25 cents each. Baggage conveyed to and from the house free of charge. Liberal reduction made to families. No Chinese Employed.
“No Chinese Employed.”
This advertisement is a stark artifact of the anti-Chinese sentiment that defined labor politics in Washington Territory. Today, as we grapple with modern labor disputes and housing crises, this 'No Chinese Employed' clause serves as a reminder of how businesses once explicitly codified racial exclusion as a marketing tool for working-class white laborers.
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