
Why did Oregon ban black people from entering the state?
Additional laws aimed at African Americans entering Oregon were ratified in 1849 and 1857. The last of these laws was repealed in 1926. The laws, born of anti-slavery and anti-black beliefs, were often justified as a reaction to fears of black people instigating Native American uprisings.
What was the punishment for African Americans in Oregon Territory?
The law authorized a punishment for any black settler remaining in the territory to be whipped with "not less than twenty nor more than thirty-nine stripes" for every six months they remained. Additional laws aimed at African Americans entering Oregon were ratified in 1849 and 1857.
How did slavery affect settlers on the Oregon Trail?
The growing divisions over slavery were imported to Oregon in the 1840s as waves of white settlers traveled west on the Oregon Trail with potently racist attitudes. These immigrants, betraying their Midwest and border state experiences, brought their hatred of slavery and free blacks across the plains to their new homes.
Where did the first pioneers settle in Oregon?
The common link with these lines, all were pioneers to Oregon, arriving before 1865, settling first in MARION, MULTNOMAH, POLK and YAMHILL counties. WILLIAM GATTON, born 1831 in Holmes Co., Ohio Arriving with the Wagon Train in 1852.

Who was the first black settler in the Oregon Territory and what year did he settle?
The earliest known person of African descent was Markus Lopeus, a black sailor who arrived at Tillamook Bay with merchant sea captain Robert Gray in 1788. It is documented that Lopeus died during a dispute with local Native Americans. In the following years, black fur trappers and explorers came to the region.
Where was the first black settlement in America?
The people became Catholics and adopted Spanish names and Spanish culture with an African flavor. This settlement, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, (mo-say) became the first legally-established free African settlement in North America.
Where was the first black town?
America's First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915.
What was the first black town in North America?
Augustine, Florida. Mose (pronounced “Moh- say”) became the first legally sanctioned free Black town in the present-day United States, and it is a critically important site for Black American history. Mose provides important evidence that Black American colonial history was much more than slavery and oppression.
What was the first all black town?
In August 1887, 27 African American men unanimously voted for the Town of Eatonville in Orange County, Florida, to incorporate, officially establishing the oldest all-black town in the United States. The significance of Eatonville's incorporation would be proudly advertised by its citizens.
Where did slaves first arrive in America?
First enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery in North America. On August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists.
Was there a black town in the Old West?
klahoma became a premier haven for African Americans moving Westward from 1865-1920. By 1890, Oklahoma could claim over 137,000 African American residents living in all black towns across Oklahoma.
What state has the most black towns?
Oklahoma: Home to More Historically All-Black Towns than Any Other U.S. State.
Who was the first black settler?
Anthony Johnson (colonist)Anthony JohnsonDied1670 (aged 69–70) Colony of VirginiaOther namesAntonioOccupationFarmerKnown forThe most prominent early colonial black person to own a slave.1 more row
What was the first colony to make slavery legal?
MassachusettsMassachusetts is the first colony to legalize slavery.
How many black towns were there in the Old West?
From 1865 to 1920 African Americans created more than fifty identifiable towns and settlements, some of short duration and some still existing at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
What was the first free Black community in the Americas?
Fort MoseYet even among those superlatives, one of the city's most important contributions to American history remained shrouded in myth and mystery until just 25 years ago, when archaeologists uncovered the site of Fort Mose (Mo-ZAY), the first legally sanctioned community of free blacks in what would become the United States.
Who was the first black settler?
Anthony Johnson (colonist)Anthony JohnsonDied1670 (aged 69–70) Colony of VirginiaOther namesAntonioOccupationFarmerKnown forThe most prominent early colonial black person to own a slave.1 more row
What was the first free Black community in the Americas?
Fort MoseYet even among those superlatives, one of the city's most important contributions to American history remained shrouded in myth and mystery until just 25 years ago, when archaeologists uncovered the site of Fort Mose (Mo-ZAY), the first legally sanctioned community of free blacks in what would become the United States.
What was the first colony to make slavery legal?
MassachusettsMassachusetts is the first colony to legalize slavery.
Were there any black towns in the Old West?
klahoma became a premier haven for African Americans moving Westward from 1865-1920. By 1890, Oklahoma could claim over 137,000 African American residents living in all black towns across Oklahoma.
Black Americans in Early Oregon City (1841 - 1864)
While the western migration over the Oregon trail largely consisted of white re-settlers, many black emigrants settled in the territory both prior to and during the “Great Migration.” Some were enslaved persons seeking freedom, while others were free men looking for opportunity, and others still were brought to the region by happenstance.
James D. Saules
Estimated to have been born in 1806, James D. Saules was a free black musician and sailor who arrived in Oregon in 1841 while serving aboard the USS Peacock (pictured).
Rose Jackson
Many emigrants traveled over the Oregon Trail in the early to mid-19th century, but of them we are only aware of one who made the journey inside a crate: such is the story of Rose Jackson, who emigrated from Missouri with Dr. William Allen and his family in 1849.
Jacob Vanderpool
As we highlight the stories of Black Americans in Oregon City, it’s important that we address the racist legislation that threatened the livelihoods of Black American emigrants in our region, and the man whose right to liberty was denied through its enforcement. Like many hopeful emigrants, Jacob Vanderpool arrived in the Oregon Territory in the mid-nineteenth century.
George Washington
George Washington, the founder of Centralia, is a name that is likely familiar to our neighbors in the state of Washington, but he was also once a citizen of Oregon City. Born in Virginia in 1817, George was raised by James and Anna Cochran, a white couple, after his mother entrusted them with his care.
How long did slaves have to be removed from Oregon?
One section required people holding slaves in Oregon to remove them within three years or the slaves would be freed. Another section required free blacks over 18 to leave Oregon or be subject to trial.
Why did Oregon have a division over slavery?
The growing divisions over slavery were imported to Oregon in the 1840s as waves of white settlers traveled west on the Oregon Trail with potently racist attitudes. These immigrants, betraying their Midwest and border state experiences, brought their hatred of slavery and free blacks across the plains to their new homes. The great majority of these new Oregonians simply wanted to create an all-white society free of the racial problems threatening to cause an American civil war.
Why did the Oregon Constitutional Convention seek statehood?
Amid the national turmoil, delegates to the Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 sought statehood to better control their own governmental destiny. They grappled with issues related to race and slavery throughout the proceedings.
What did the Supreme Court say about the Dred Scott case?
Supreme Court went further in the Dred Scott case, stating that the federal government lacked the power to regulate slavery in territories acquired after the creation of the country. This decision tore the Band-Aid off the slavery wound and the nation quickly descended into the Civil War.
How did the Missouri compromise of 1820 attempt to keep a balance of power?
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 attempted to keep a balance of power by drawing an east-west line near the 36th parallel that allowed slavery below it and outlawed it above it. This Band-Aid on a festering wound failed to solve the underlying problems caused by slavery.
What was the boundary between slaves and free states?
It prohibited slavery in the new Northwest Territory around the Great Lakes in 1787 and practically set the Ohio River as the boundary between slave and free territory reaching west to the Mississippi River. Much of the national struggle for the next 70 years revolved around a competition to admit slave and free states to the union.
When did the exclusion law stop black people from moving to Oregon?
In 1849 another exclusion law was passed. This one allowed black residents already in Oregon to remain, but banned further African American in-migration. Ship owners were responsible for their black crew members and could be fined $500 if the crew member jumped ship and remained in Oregon. In this second version, African Americans would be arrested and then ordered to leave. This law was in effect until 1854, when, in a general housekeeping act, it was repealed. Later attempts to reintroduce it suggest that this repeal was accidental.
What were the Black laws of Oregon?
Beginning with the Exclusion Law of 1844 enacted by the provisional government of the region, Oregon passed a series of measures designed to ban African American settlement in the territory. Historian Elizabeth McLagan describes those laws in the article below. Oregon passed exclusion laws against African ...
When was the Oregon ban repealed?
Although enabling legislation was never passed and the clause was voided by the14th and 15th Amendments passed after the Civil War, the ban remained a part of Oregon’s constitution until it was finally repealed in 1927. Oregon was largely settled by white immigrants who emigrated with their values and prejudices.
Why did George Washington Bush leave Missouri?
George Washington Bush, a wealthy man of color who had left Missouri because of prejudice, deliberately avoided the southern section of Oregon Territory and in 1844 settled in the wilderness north of the Columbia River where the exclusion law could not be enforced. Washington was organized as a separate territory in 1853, and Bush was free to stay.
Why did the Oregon Black Pioneers change their name?
Created in 1993, as the Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers, the Oregon Black Pioneers (OBP) changed to their current name in 2012 in order to focus specifically on Oregon’s Black American history. “ [This change was] critical because these are the things that you can point to about your existence —solidly in place saying ‘Yes, I am.’ A place to show that Black people in Oregon were a critical part [of the state’s] development,” says Willie Richardson, president and co-founder. She says, “Today, Oregon has the reputation of being called the ‘whitest state in the country,’ [but Oregon’s Black history] often gets dismissed or not told, and we have such a rich [history]. This is not just an Oregon story, but a national one.”
Where are the Black historic sites in Oregon?
From homes representing African American settlement along the Oregon Trail to early Black businesses such as Dean’s Beauty and Barber in Portland, there is a wealth of Black historic sites across the state, though the largest concentration is in the city of Portland, including the Golden West Hotel and Mount Olivet Church.
What did Trice say about logging?
Trice says “Everyone had a role in the logging life, and without them it wouldn’t work. We were dealing with strong pioneers who understood the value of the hours of the day.”. Maxville’s story is part of an untold one of Black Americans and similar logging towns and camps across the country.
What happened in the 1920s in Oregon?
In the early 1920s, Black loggers from the South were recruited to come and work there despite Oregon’s exclusion laws. “They were not part of our history’s record until we started doing this work,” says Gwendolyn Trice, Maxville’s executive director. “There was this whitewashing of history. There were no experts in Oregon.
Is Oregon still doing African American history?
However, the good news is “that Oregon passed laws that by 2021 students will be doing ethnic history, including African American history.
What did the early white settlers in Oregon hold?
Timeline. A 1903 map of Oregon's territory. Early white settlers in the Oregon Country often held both anti-slavery and anti-black beliefs, and many came from states, such as Missouri, which had some version of exclusion laws.
What were the black exclusion laws in Oregon?
The Oregon black exclusion laws were attempts to prevent black people from settling within the borders of the settlement and eventual U.S. state of Oregon. The first such law took effect in 1844, when the Provisional Government of Oregon voted to exclude black settlers from Oregon's borders. The law authorized a punishment for any black settler remaining in the territory to be whipped with "not less than twenty nor more than thirty-nine stripes" for every six months they remained. Additional laws aimed at African Americans entering Oregon were ratified in 1849 and 1857. The last of these laws was repealed in 1926. The laws, born of anti-slavery and anti-black beliefs, were often justified as a reaction to fears of black people instigating Native American uprisings.
What was the first law in Oregon that banned slavery?
After a vote on June 26, 1844, the first Black Exclusion law reiterated a ban on all slavery in Oregon territory, and it forced black and mulatto settlers to leave Oregon territory within three years (two years for men) or be whipped "no more than 39 times". That section was amended in December 1844 to permit a free slave to be resold on the condition that the slave owner agree to remove them from the territory at the end of the contract, which was held with the provisional government. In effect, that re-established slavery on a temporary basis for three years. The law was repealed in 1845 wouthout any such punishment ever being carried out.
When was the first black exclusion law passed?
Enforcement of the law was left unclear. After a vote on June 26, 1844, the first Black Exclusion law reiterated a ban on all slavery in Oregon territory, while also forcing black and mulatto settlers to leave Oregon territory within three years (two years for men), or else to be whipped "no more than 39 times.".
How long do you have to remove slaves from Oregon?
Section 2: That in all cases where slaves shall have been, or shall hereafter be, brought into Oregon, the owners of such slaves respectively shall have the term of three years from the introduction of such slaves to remove them out of the country.
Which state was the only state to have an exclusion law?
Oregon was the only state admitted to the Union with such an exclusion law. There are no records that this law was enforced, and the legislature voted down a proposed 1865 law that would authorize sheriffs to deport black residents in their counties.
When did the Oregon laws end?
Additional laws aimed at African Americans entering Oregon were ratified in 1849 and 1857. The last of these laws was repealed in 1926. The laws, born of anti-slavery and anti-black beliefs, were often justified as a reaction to fears of black people instigating Native American uprisings.
OREGON CEMETERIES
The following are hard to find Cemetery Listings, not found on USGenweb or Rootsweb. All have 1 or more of our ancestors buried there.
Multnomah County
Columbian Cemetery Partical listings of 850 burials, of the more than 5,000 total burials in this cemetery.
Umatilla County
Hermiston Cemetery Partical listing of over 113 burial sites, located in the Hermiston Cemetery, Hermiston, Umatilla Co., Oregon.
Yamhill County
Amity Cemetery Partical listing of over 800 burial sites, located in the Amity Cemetery, end of 6th Street, Amity, Yamhill Co., Oregon.
Descendant Line
WILLIAM ROBERT HARTSOOK Descendant line of William Robert Hartsook, born in 1858, Washington Co., Virginia. William married Telitha Cuma Payton.
Indirect Descendant Lines
The following are indirect descendant lines, to the above families. The common link with these lines, all were pioneers to Oregon, arriving before 1865, settling first in MARION, MULTNOMAH, POLK and YAMHILL counties.
Who explored the land in Oregon?
Fur traders and trappers, initially from the Hudson's Bay Company, explored the land more thoroughly, documenting encounters with most of the local Indian tribes. Christian missionaries, and later immigrants planning to settle permanently in Oregon, sent glowing reports back to their families in the east.
Why was Oregon sent north?
troops were withdrawn and sent east. Volunteer cavalry and infantry were recruited in California and sent north to Oregon to keep peace and protect the populace.
What is Oregon Territory?
Oregon Country, a large region explored by Americans and the British (and generally known to Canadians as the Columbia District ); Oregon Territory, established by the United States two years after its sovereignty over the region was established by the Oregon Treaty; and. Oregon, a U.S. state since 1859.
What caused the 1700 Cascadia earthquake?
The 1700 Cascadia earthquake resulted from a rupture at the Cascadia subduction zone along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The earthquake caused a tsunami that was destructive in Japan; it may also be linked to the Bonneville Slide, in which a large part of Washington 's Table Mountain collapsed into the Columbia River Gorge, damming the river and forming the Bridge of the Gods, a land bridge remembered in the oral history of local Native Americans.
How did the railroads affect Oregon?
This included the connection of the state to the Eastern United States via links to the transcontinental railroads that allowed for faster movement of goods and people. Immigration to Oregon increased after the connection to the east. Additional transportation improvements included the construction of several locks and canals to ease river navigation.
What are the states of Oregon?
The term "Oregon" may refer to: 1 Oregon Country, a large region explored by Americans and the British (and generally known to Canadians as the Columbia District ); 2 Oregon Territory, established by the United States two years after its sovereignty over the region was established by the Oregon Treaty; and 3 Oregon, a U.S. state since 1859
What are the five eras of Oregon?
state, may be considered in five eras: geologic history, inhabitation by native peoples, early exploration by Europeans (primarily fur traders ), settlement by pioneers, and modern development.
