Oregon
History in Context
The 1880 U.S. Census found 9,510 Chinese living in Oregon ‒ 5.4% of the state's total population at that time.
Oregon and the Geary Act
In 1892, Congress passed the Geary Act, which extended the Chinese Exclusion Act and added new restrictions for Chinese immigrants. Responding to government pressure in Oregon, representatives of the Chinese Equal Rights League asked U.S. President Grover Cleveland for help, saying "We fear the State of Oregon as fugitive slaves feared South Carolina, and we will look upon Cleveland and his party for protection as the Negroes looked upon Lincoln." (2)
Note: City locations on this map are approximate. Some of the distances between cities have been exaggerated in order to prevent overlapping names. Click on a place name to learn about what happened there.