Black Exclusion Laws In Oregon

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For decades, Oregon legally excluded Black people from settling in the region. Despite racist laws and attitudes, some came anyway. “Oregon’s Black Pioneers” examines the earliest African Letter from Samuel R. Thurston to Wesley Shannon, June 22, 1850, regarding Oregon’s Black exclusion laws Click here for full letter. Click here for transcript. This letter was written by Territorial Representative Samuel Thurston in 1850 to his friend and political ally Wesley Shannon, a member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature. Thurston was in Washington, D.C., Amidst the historical backdrop of Oregon’s formation, the state grappled with Black exclusion laws, pro-slavery influence, and the free state versus slave state debate. Join Mariah Rocker from Oregon Black Pioneers as she explores these dynamics and their profound impact on Oregon’s Black community.

has received, no action taken by the Oregon Provisional Government has at-tracted as much interest as a black exclusion law passed in June 1844.2 Although the primary purpose of this essay is to present as complete an explanation as possible for this extraordinary law, the extent of confusion among scholars over the years in simply describing Oregon had a history of sundown laws, red-lining of residential neighborhoods, and accommodations and restaurants closed to blacks well into the mid-20th century. Slavery, although not legal, was tolerated in Oregon until the Civil War, and Oregon actually voted in 1857 on whether it should be a slave state, although the proposal was Oregon has a long history of exclusionary laws that have forced minorities out of the state. In 1843, the Provisional Government of Oregon established a set of organic laws, including a ban on slavery. The Oregon exclusion law prohibited free black men and women in the territory, with exceptions made for those who were already in the

Exclusion laws designed to prevent black people from coming to Oregon were passed twice during the 1840s, considered several more times, and finally A BILL TO PREVENT NEGROES AND MULATTOES FROM COMING TO, OR RESIDING IN OREGON, (Enacted by the Oregon Territorial Legislature, 1849) Sect. 1 Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Oregon that it shall not be lawful for any negro or mulatto to enter into, or reside within the limits of this Territory. Providing that nothing The first Black exclusion law arrived in the mid-1800s; it prohibited Black people from arriving in Oregon while paradoxically banning slavery—a move that

Oregon’s Legacy of Racist Laws

The Black Codes, also called the Black Laws, were racially segregationist and discriminatory U.S. state laws that limited the freedom of Black Americans but not of White Americans. The first Black Codes applied to “ free Negroes,“ i.e., black people who lived in states where slavery had been abolished or who lived in a slave state but were not enslaved. After chattel slavery was Again, according to the Oregon Historical Society, Although the exclusion laws were not generally enforced, they had their intended effect of discouraging black settlers. The 1860 census for Oregon, for example, reported 128 African Americans in a total population of 52,465. In 2013, only 2 percent of the Oregon population was black. The black-exclusion clause in the Oregon Constitution never had a concomitant enforcement law, but three years after statehood was achieved, Oregon’s legislature placed an annual tax on every

Other African Americans were less fortunate. In 1849 Oregon passed another Black exclusion law making it “unlawful for any negro or mulatto to enter into, or reside” in Oregon, with exceptions for those already present. At least one man is known to have been expelled from the territory under that law. The story is of a slave, brought to Oregon by his “owner,” James Southworth. Oh, those Oregon Black Exclusion laws initiated in 1844, stating that any Black individuals or families attempting to settle here would be whipped 39 times, and repeated until they left.

Oregon passed exclusion laws against African Americans twice during the 1840s, considered another law in the 1850s, and in 1857 approved an exclusion clause as part of its constitution. Exclusion laws were also passed in Indiana and Illinois and considere The first Black exclusion law in Oregon, adopted in 1844 by the Provisional Government, mandated that Blacks attempting to settle in Oregon would be publicly whipped—thirty-nine lashes, repeated every six months—until they departed. Oregon’s Exclusion Law is repealed, but is replaced three years later by amending the Oregon Constitution with similar exclusionary language to keep Blacks out of Oregon.

Timeline of Racism in Oregon
Oregon black exclusion laws
The Black Laws of Oregon, 1844-1857
State of Oregon: Black in Oregon

Oregon’s racial makeup has been shaped by three Black exclusion laws that were in place during much of the region’s early history. These laws, all later rescinded, largely succeeded in their aim of discouraging free Black people from settling in Oregon early on, ensuring that Oregon would develop as primarily white. White emigrants who came to present-day Oregon during the 1840s 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 In this guest presentation by Kenneth Coleman, educators will learn about Oregon’s early racial exclusion laws, including the Black exclusion laws of Oregon’s provisional and territorial governments, and the federal Oregon Donation Land Act.

Oregon’s Black Exclusion Era A collaboration between Oregon Black Pioneers and Dean Wright, Judson Middle School.

Legal Context for the Life of Mabel Byrd

The observance of Black History Month this February shouldn’t overlook how Oregon’s black history was shaped by so-called exclusion laws, Oregon personal income tax law relating to the taxation of Native Americans is found under ORS 316.777 and OAR 150-316-0595. This statute and the associated administrative rules exempt certain income earned by Native Americans in Oregon. Before it became a state, the government of the Oregon territory passed what were called black exclusion laws – not allowing Black people to settle or own land.

Despite the Black exclusion laws that hindered and discouraged many African Americans from settling in Oregon, there’s still a rich history of Black individuals who have made indelible marks on Oregon Measure 14, Remove Historical Racial References in Constitution Amendment (2002) Oregon Measure 14 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Oregon on November 5, 2002.

He is often cited as the inspiration for Oregon’s first Black exclusion law, the “lash law” of 1844. Although [an Oregon] 1849 Black exclusion law boldly declared Oregon a white man’s territory, Saules remained in the region. The Black Exclusion Laws prohibited Black Americans from settling in Oregon, and even those who defied the law could not own property or firearms. These laws remained on the books until 1926, and even after they were repealed, the state’s overwhelmingly white institutions ensured that Black Oregonians faced severe legal and The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. [1] This contains most of the rights and privileges protected by the United States Bill of Rights and the main text of the United States Constitution. The remainder of the Oregon

The first Black exclusion law was the result of the Organic Laws of Oregon, established in the Oregon Country in 1843 by the Provisional Government of Oregon. They included an article banning slavery in Oregon except for use as punishment, although the means of

During most of Oregon’s early history, exclusion laws banned African Americans from settling in Oregon. Informal sundown laws – prohibiting Blacks from remaining in a town after sundown In 1859, Oregon became the only state to enter the Union with a black exclusion law, although there were many other states that had tried before, especially in

Oregon’s racial makeup has been shaped by three Black exclusion laws that were in place during much of the region’s early history. These laws,

These amendments superseded the exclusion laws and granted blacks the right to vote, but the offending laws in the Oregon Constitution was not removed until 1927. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1880s, a new and substantial form of service employment became available to the African-American community.

e primary force preventing the removal of individual Black Oregonians. However, because only one person is known to have been removed from Oregon under the Black exclusion laws—Jacob Vanderpool, a sailor from the West Indies who arrived in Oregon City in 1850 and was expelled a year later on the The Advocate newspaper served as an influential voice of the Black community in Portland beginning in 1903. Although this exhibit focuses on the 1840 to 1870 time period, Oregon continued to struggle with racial equality as demonstrated by the following chronology of later national and Oregon developments: November 2, 1900

Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. For more than 30 years, we’ve illuminated the seldom-told stories of people of African descent in Oregon through our engaging exhibits, public programs, publications, and historical research. Additionally, we partner with

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