#ResistanceRoots Today in history, 1885: A mob of white miners in Rock Springs, Wyo., attack and kill at least 28 Chinese miners, wound 15 others and burn down the town’s Chinatown. Union troops were called in to quell the violence, which was rooted in economic tension and anti-Chinese racism. /1
North Adams Strike - where it all began on the other side of the country (and an interesting look of the time & incident - especially the descriptions of bringing the workers from CA & the locals reaction when they came to town.)
The white miners had tried to unionize so they could strike for better wages and work conditions, but were thwarted by the Union Pacific Railroad, which owned the mines. To fill vacancies and break strikes, the railroad hired Chinese laborers, who were willing to work hard at lower wages. /2
After a workplace dispute escalated into a violent conflict, a mob of around 150 armed white miners descended on Chinatown. Many Chinese miners fled for the hills, while others hid in their homes. The mob looted and burned nearly 80 homes, with rioters reportedly throwing bodies into the flames. /3
Several hundred Chinese survivors abandoned their homes and businesses and hid in the hills, afraid to come out for food. Federal troops temporarily sheltered them before escorting them back a week later. The troops remained in Rock Springs for more than a decade to prevent further violence. /4
Sixteen white miners were arrested, but a grand jury was unwilling to indict anyone because no white citizens would testify against them. In 1887, Congress, under pressure from President Grover Cleveland, agreed to pay $147,748.74 in restitution to the Chinese government for property damage. /5
The Rock Springs massacre was not an isolated event but a notorious example of the widespread anti-Chinese sentiment. Numerous “driving out” incidents occurred across the American West in the late 19th century, many of them organized by the anti-Chinese Knights of Labor. /end
Why this history exists is beyond my comprehension.