jan 21, 1883 - Hells Canyon Massacre

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Seven white horse thieves ambush a group of Chinese miners at their camp along Snake River, murdering all 34 men. All of the gang members are found not guilty by an all-white jury. This yet again shows how violent discrimination got, but it also shows how people and the government were willing to look the other way when discrimination happened. At this point, the Asian Americans have almost no one on their side, fighting for their rights, and it shows by how the white horse thieves were found not guilty since a white jury believed that they either weren’t at fault, or shouldn’t be punished. It’s hard to know exactly why the gang members were not punished, but whites not being punished for harassing, or even killing immigrants is a continuity that exists throughout American history.

“Asian American Milestones: Timeline.” History, April 17, 2024.
https://www.history.com/topics/aapi/asian-american-timeline

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