A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788-1940

by Elizabeth McLagan

Overview

Published in cooperation with Oregon Black Pioneers

A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788-1940, remains the most comprehensive chronology of Black life in Oregon more than forty years after its original publication in 1980. Elizabeth McLagan’s work reveals how in spite of those barriers, Black individuals and families made Oregon their home and helped create the state’s modern Black communities. A longtime resource for those seeking information on the legal and social barriers faced by people of African descent in Oregon, the book is available again through this co-publication with Oregon Black Pioneers, Oregon’s statewide African American historical society. The revised second edition includes additional details for students and scholars, an expanded reading list, a new selection of historic images, and a new foreword by Gwen Carr and afterword by Elizabeth McLagan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870712210
Publisher:	Oregon State University Press
Publication date:	11/03/2022
Edition description:	Second Edition, Second Edition, Published in Cooperation with Oregon Black Pioneers
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	514,420
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth McLagan is a freelance writer and retired instructor at Portland Community College. She graduated with a degree in history from Oregon State University and earned an MFA in poetry from Eastern Washington University.

Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. Since 1993, Oregon Black Pioneers has illuminated the seldom-told history of people of African descent in Oregon through exhibitions, public programs, publications, and historical research. Learn more at oregonblackpioneers.org.

Table of Contents

Foreword Gwen Carr ix

Note on the Second Edition xii

Preface xiii

1 Into the Wilderness 1

Blacks in Oregon 1788-1850

2 To Keep Clear of this Most Troublesome Class 19

The Exclusion Laws 1844-1857

3 To Hold Slaves in Oregon 28

The Slavery Debates 1850-1857

4 Within Every Rule 42

Legislation in Oregon 1857-1860

5 No Farther into the Dark Clouds 53

Legislation in Oregon 1860-1875

6 A Few Colored Men in Oregon 66

Blacks in Oregon 1850-1900

7 Sober, Industrious and Honest 80

The Black Community in Portland

Gallery of photographs 97

8 A Very Prejudiced State 112

Discrimination in Oregon 1900-1940

9 Simple Justice 129

Civil Rights Legislation 1893-1939

10 A Tough Spot with a Nice Climate 143

Epilogue

Afterword 153

Acknowledgments 155

Appendix 159

Notes 163

Bibliography 175

Index 185