The Alien Land Bill
One hundred years ago this week, on March 8, 1921, Washington Governor Louis F. Hart signed the Alien Land Bill. This statute, which barred non-white immigrants from buying, owning, or leasing land in the state and mandated confiscation without compensation of any lands purchased before or after passage of the act, was far more draconian than earlier measures, which were mostly directed against the Chinese.
In the mid-1800s, low-paid Chinese laborers were initially welcomed in the labor force, but soon encountered severe hostility and discrimination when the economy turned sour. In 1882 the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers and prohibited all Chinese from becoming U.S. citizens. Three years later, the Washington Territorial Legislature added more restrictions to an 1863 anti-immigration law, and not long afterwards, large numbers of Chinese residents were ousted from Tacoma and Seattle.
The removal of Chinese immigrants from the labor market led to the recruitment of Japanese migrant workers, but when some of these new arrivals began leasing land and growing their own crops, it fostered a sense of permanency and enabled their children to attend schools. By 1920, Japanese farmers supplied nearly 75 percent of the vegetables consumed in King County, and white society saw this as a threat.
The 1921 Alien Land Bill didn't explicitly designate the Japanese, but its effect was immediate. During the next 10 years, the total number of Japanese residents in Washington increased only slightly. Then, in 1942, both those who remained legal aliens and those who were citizens by virtue of birth in this country found themselves facing far worse treatment. It wasn't until after World War II that public sentiment began to turn, but the 1921 law wasn't formally repealed and immigrant rights officially restored until 1967.
The Ship of State
On March 7, 1989, the Lady Washington took to the waters for the first time at her home port of Aberdeen. Launched during the centennial celebration of Washington’s statehood, the ship is a full-scale replica of the original Lady Washington, once captained by Robert Gray, eponym of Grays Harbor.
The modern Lady Washington contains approximately six miles of rigging, and her figurehead was carved by Bob McCausland, a former cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In 2007 the Lady Washington was named the official ship of the state of Washington, and often travels the Pacific Coast with her sailing partner, the Hawaiian Chieftain. Film buffs may also recognize the vessel from her appearances in such films as Star Trek: Generations and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. She can also be seen in Macklemore's "Can't Hold Us" music video.
And we'd be remiss this week if we didn’t note the anniversary of another beloved Pacific Northwest vessel -- the Virginia V. This last surviving operational member of Puget Sound’s mosquito fleet was launched on March 9, 1922, and has been owned or operated by a variety of people over the years, including hit-maker Joe Boles. The sturdy steamer has hosted countless wedding receptions, high school proms, scouting trips, and other excursions, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
