Anti-Chinese riots, Seattle, 1886. On the west coast, Chinese laborers were the targets of anger and mob violence, during an economic depression many white workers accused immigrants of taking their jobs

During the mid-1880s, a nationwide economic depression led to widespread unemployment.

In the fall of 1885, anti-Chinese feelings in Seattle led to four months of riots aimed at driving the Chinese out of the city. Some Seattle citizens organized to uphold the law and protect the Chinese. Even so, many Chinese laborers were driven from their homes and forced onto ships in the bay. Early in 1886, President Grover Cleveland declared martial law and sent in federal troops to restore order.

This 1886 illustration from Harper’s Weekly shows the anti-Chinese riots in Seattle. A group of Chinese men (center) being chased by the mob.