Governmental Intervention
On Feb. 9, 1886, President Grover Cleveland declared martial law in Seattle in response to forcible demands by white, working-class citizens calling for the expulsion of Chinese residents. Two intertwined forces drove this hostile day: racial injustice and economic unrest. A deep resentment had taken hold among many whites who felt displaced by cheaper labor and who perceived the Chinese as failing to assimilate into Western culture. The result was a wave of violent riots and even shootings.
By the morning of February 9th, much of the violence from the preceding days had actually died down. Seattle's Governor Squire had already issued his own martial law declaration by this point. The conflict had calmed considerably, and the Knights of Labor—a prominent white working-class labor union—signaled their desire for peace. Still, despite the relative calm that morning, more temperate voices grew concerned and alarmed that Governor Squire had not dispatched troops to maintain order. When he eventually tried to do so, his effort fell short.
Word reached President Cleveland rapidly through telegrams sent to the federal government. Acting in his capacity as Commander in Chief, Cleveland ordered military force to put down the violence stirred up by groups like the Knights of Labor. His aim was a peaceable one—to defend the freedoms of all people, a responsibility entrusted to the executive branch. Before he ultimately succeeded, though, the violent mass riots had already forced the displacement of over 200 Chinese people living in Seattle.