From 1873-1880, a severe economic crisis swept across the United States. Known today as the Long Depression, a large number of East Coast workers headed to San Francisco hoping for job opportunities. But with the Comstock Lode mined and the Transcontinental Railroad complete, there were no jobs to be had. 20% of the City’s population was unemployed and, with no government relief available at the time, they were left destitute and desperate. Animosity against Chinese immigrants grew as Caucasian and Chinese laborers began competing for the same jobs, with Chinese laborers being hired over Caucasian laborers because the Chinese were willing to work for lower wages.
On the evening of July 23, 1877, a Workingmen’s Party rally was held on a vacant lot next to City Hall (today the site of the SF Public Library ). The Workingmen’s Party was a fledgling labor organization comprised mostly of unemployed men. City officials granted permission for the rally after getting assurances that there would be no calls to violence against the Chinese. The rally, comprised of a group of 8,000, was quiet and orderly until a small group that had arrived late began demanding that the speakers address the Chinese work issue. When this was refused they began assaulting passing Chinese residents and chanting “On to Chinatown”. When a gas-powered light failed and set off a fire alarm, the crowd dispersed; however, the group that had arrived late began marching towards ChinaTown, looting and setting Chinese businesses on fire. When the San Francisco Fire Department arrived to put out the fires, rioters cut their hoses. Police took up positions at California and Grant and California and Stockton and were able to prevent the rioters, now numbering in the thousands, from entering ChinaTown .
The next day, City officials established a Committee of Safety. 4,000 citizens were issued 24-hour deputy badges and armed with pic axe handles. On the evening of July 24th a group of about 600 again gathered at the City Hall sand lot and marched towards the docks owned by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company: the chief mode of transport for Chinese immigrants. Not being able to pass the Police and Committee blockade, they set fire to a nearby lumberyard on the Beale Street Wharf, which was completely destroyed. Moving towards ChinaTown, additional Chinese businesses were looted and burned before the crowd was once again forced to disperse after significant altercations.
On July 25th San Francisco Police Chief Henry Ellis asked for assistance from the California State Militia. Troops stationed at the Presidio were deployed to keep the peace. While there was some disturbance that night, the worst of the rioting was over.
This was not the end to anti-Chinese sentiment. Denis Kearney, disgruntled with the fact that the Workingmen’s Party would not take a hard stand against Chinese immigration, formed the Workingmen’s Party of California with the motto “The Chinese must go!” Several members of this party were elected to the California State Legislature and spearheaded a national campaign condemning Chinese immigration. Their efforts led to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act . Signed by President Chester Arthur, this act halted Chinese immigration for ten years, denied US Citizenship and prohibited Chinese immigrants from testifying in court, holding a federal government job or getting a public school education. The law was not repealed until 1943.
The three days of riots left four Chinese residents dead, scores injured and significant damage to Chinese businesses. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that these events were “the most wicked and shocking crimes that ever disgraced the city.”
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[1] City Hall: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4664 [2] San Francisco Public Library: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4605 [3] ChinaTown: story coming October 18th [4] The Presidio: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5121 [5] The Chinese Exclusion Act: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3707 [6] The San Francisco Chronicle: story coming January 16th
