The Fort Clatsop Vote: A Precedent of Suffrage in the Pacific Northwest
In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition held a democratic vote at the mouth of the Columbia River to determine their winter quarters. This event in the United States' early…
The Lash Law: Oregon’s 1844 Exclusion of Black Settlers
In 1844, the provisional government of the Oregon Country passed a series of 'Black Exclusion Laws' that prohibited slavery while simultaneously banning Black settlers from the territory. These laws, which…