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The Oregon Constitution and the colored people.

By: Mellodee Behunin

The Oregon we know today is not what it was only a few years ago. How was the Oregon constitution in 1857 according to cololred people? And how did the KKK play a role?

The Oregon we know today is not what it was only a f...

The Constitution Structure

The Constitution Structure

The Oregon Constitution has 18 different articles within the main constitution. The 18 articles are then broke down into numbered sections that address a different law and/or admendment.

Article 18 refers to slavery and people of color.

Article 18 refers to slavery and people of color.

Oregon and it's negative attitude towards people of color.

Oregon has had a long history of negative attitudes towards people of color. The whites who lived in Oregon opposed living alongside the African Americans. Because the whites did not want be besides people of color, many measures were tried to ban African Americans from settling in oregon territory.

Oregon has had a long history of negative attitud...

In 1840 Oregon had already made two exclusion la...

In 1840 Oregon had already made two exclusion laws against African Americans, and considered another in the 1850's.

In 1857, Oregon had made the exclusion laws apart of the Oregon Constitution. Thus making Oregon the only free-state to have exclusion laws.

In 1857, Oregon had made the exclusion laws apart of t...

During 1840, Oregon had made measures to ban African Americans from settling in the Oregon territory.

During 1840, Oregon had made measures to ban Afric...

The first exclusion law was passed in 1844, by t...

The first exclusion law was passed in 1844, by the provisional government of Oregon.

Oregon's first exclusion to be passed of 1844

This law was created to ban salver. This meant that t...

This law was created to ban salver. This meant that the slave owners in Oregon had to free their slaves.

After slavery was banned, the slaves that were released had to leave Oregon. If they decided to stay they were whipp-lashed, and if the slaves came back to Oregon within six months they recieved the same treatment agian.

This law was amanded to subistute to labor whip-lashing and was repealed in 1845 before the law was put into effect.

1849, a second exclusion law was passed.

1849, a second exclusion law was passed.

This law allowed African Americans that were alrea...

This law allowed African Americans that were already settled here to stay in the terriotry but, banned new imigrants to migrate into Oregon.

Many Africans tried to come over on work ships to settle in Oregon. In return Oregon made a sub law that made ships responsible for their slaves. If a slave snuck off a ship and stayed in Oregon, the ship was fined 500$.

If a slave was not apart of a ship or was a migrant the immigrant was arrested and ordered to leave.

This law was in effect until it was repealed in 1854 in a general housekeeping act.

Later attemps suggested that the repeal was accidentail.

The constitution was created in 1857, and a new exclusion law was added.

The constitution was created in 1857, and a new exclusion l...

This added law prohibited new African Americ...

This added law prohibited new African American immigrants to migrate to Oregon.

The Africans that were already settled in Oregon could not make an estate or sign contracts of any kind. This law also prohibited them from sueing in the court.

This law was subject to popular vote, as was the adoption of the ban on slavery and, the constitution. This law recieved more popular vote than approval vote on the constitution and the ban on slavery. This law was voided by the 14th and 15th admendments that were passed after the Civil War. The ban on slavery remained apart of the Oregon constitution until it was finally repealed in 1927.

Jesse Applegate

A supporter of the repleal of the exclusion law of 1845, and also opposed the inclusion. He believed that many immigrants, mostly thr not so well off immigrants and a strong prejudice agianst African Americas, salve or free.

He later moved into Oregon from Missory in 1843. In 1878 he said "Being one of the "Poor Whites" from a slave state i can speak with some authority for that class-many of those people hated slavery, but a much larger number of them hated free negros worse even than slaves"( )

Peter Burnett

Peter Burnett

This man was an influencial immigrant, he believed that Oregon was a fresh start territory, to escape the problems of the eastern reigon.

Peter made many aruguments in the local newspaper where he lived, "The object is to keep clear of this most troubblesome class of population. We are in a new world, under most favorable circumstances, and we wish to avoid most of these great evils that have so much afflicted the United States and other countries"( ).

After this, he tired to justify this as a law. Saying the immigration was a privilege not a right, and it was not going against the constitution.

He thought that because African Americans could not vote, that it would be more benificial to deny them residence as well.

Another reason that the whites wanted to make exclusion la...

Another reason that the whites wanted to make exclusion laws was they thought the African Americas and the Native Aericans would make a common cause to go agianst the white population.

Samuel Thurston

He was a deleigate to congress 1850.

He made a seniro that stated that the Africans and Natives could intermarry, Africans could educate the Natives which would create a strong reason for them to go against white power. Thus creating a long and bloody war agaisnt the whites and the colored people. Thus the exclusion laws were created.

Colored people already in Oregon.

Colored people already in Oregon.

There were many colored people that contribut...

There were many colored people that contributed greatly to Oregon itself that were forced or chose to leave Oregon because of the racist encounters that they had to face everyday.

Repeal of the exclusion clause

In 1893 an exclusion repeal was introduced.

In 1893 an exclusion repeal was introduced.

The repeal clause was stalled until 1900, then after the repeal clause was finally sent out to voters where is was defeated by a small group of voters.

The repeal resolutions were passed in, 1901, 1903, and 1915. In 1916 one was sent out but defeated.

An Oregon voter made this comment "Ignorance there was, no doubt, but the race prejudice was reflected nevertheless, and to our knowledge many voted "NO" in a spirit of protest, realizing full well that the vote could have no effect on the citizenship status of the negro". Eleven years later the amendment was approved. In 1927 the exclusion clasue was finally removed from the Oregon constitution. (Elizabeth McLagan, A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon (Portland: Georgian Press, 1980); Quintard Taylor, "Slaves and Free Men: Blacks in the Oregon Country, 1840-1860," Oregon Historical Quarterly 83:2 (Summer 1982); K. Keith Richard, "Unwelcome Settlers: Black and Mulatto Oregon Pioneers," Oregon Historical Quarterly 84:1 (Spring 1983).

Ku Klux Klan in Oregon

Ku Klux Klan in Oregon

People didn't believe that the Klan and the governme...

The Ku Klux Klan boosted in 1922, the Klan was now had 14,000 men and 9,000 of those men lived in Portland Oregon.

People didn't believe that the Klan and the government were linked together, but in 1921, there is an image of Oregon goveners and politicians standing side by side, knowing what intensions the Klan had.

The KKK and Politics clash

Many newspapers would make articles abo...

When the KKK group became bigger in Oregon, many people including whites didn't agree with the acts of "terrisom" that the group was doing.

Many newspapers would make articles about the acts the group would do. This caused many business to go out of business. The Klan would send men to go after the businesses that wrote about their roup and acts that they did to try to get them boycotted.

Govener Pierce, after he died was found to be a member of the KKK group. Men had found papers with all the meetings that Pierce had been to. Many politicians like Pierce, were apart of the group. These men were known as "loyal members" .

In the 1920's the group was roaring being called as the Roaring 20's. The Klan at this point was not only messing with the politicians, they were getting involved with law enforcment. It got to the point to where the police knew what the KKK was wanting to accomplish.

KKK strongholds

The leader of the Klan was named Fred. L. Gifford. ...

The leader of the Klan was named Fred. L. Gifford. He stayed in Portland where the head quarters was located.

Some other places that wew known for its large groups was, Salem, Astoria, Eugene, etc. The places that now are talked to the students as great places to go, was really one of the worst places to be and go, colored or white. Whites who didn't agree got the same treatment as the colored people who lived there.

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