The Argument for Statehood: Washington's Manifest Destiny
An impassioned appeal for Washington Territory's admission to the Union, highlighting its timber, agriculture, and shipbuilding potential as proof of its readiness to become a state.
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.
In the debate on the admission of the proposed state, Washington Territory is described as an agricultural, timber, and shipping state. With approximately 16,000,000 acres of prairie land and 5,000,000 acres of timber, the Territory possesses an unmatched body of timber that is today the envy of the world. Shipbuilding is already a thriving industry, and ships can be constructed there probably as cheaply as anywhere else in the United States. Furthermore, the coal mines and salmon canning industries represent significant wealth. The population is comprised of thrifty, industrious citizens who have come from other states to build up a new state. Despite some disturbances concerning the Chinese, the law-abiding people have dealt with these issues without calling in military power. There is no reason why this Territory, with its stable population and vast resources, should not be granted the full rights and privileges of American citizenship.
“Put your finger on the pulse of enterprise as it beats in Walla Walla, or Seattle, or Tacoma, or Port Townsend, and you will feel the heart throb of New England.”
This 1886 congressional plea for statehood echoes the recurring theme of Seattle’s identity: a place defined by its natural resources—timber, coal, and salmon—and its role as a Pacific gateway. Just as the orator argued for political legitimacy through economic might, modern debates over Seattle’s growth continue to center on how the city justifies its status as a vital, if rapidly changing, economic powerhouse.
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