Oregon Was Founded As A Racist Utopia

Oregon Was Founded As A Racist Utopia
17th June 1930: Native American Indians who attended a meeting with the Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs Mr Scattergood and the Superintendent of Klamath Indian Reservation at Beatty in Oregon. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
17th June 1930: Native American Indians who attended a meeting with the Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs Mr Scattergood and the Superintendent of Klamath Indian Reservation at Beatty in Oregon. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

When Oregon was granted statehood in 1859, it was the only state in the Union admitted with a constitution that forbade black people from living, working, or owning property there. It was illegal for black people even to move to the state until 1926. Oregon's founding is part of the forgotten history of racism in the American west.

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