In chapter 8 the thing that I will remember most is the Chinese Exclusion Act. What I remember most this is that Americans wanted the Chinese gone because they thought that they were stealing jobs from the Americans who needed jobs. On May 8, 1882 this law was signed and became an official law. This law suspended immigration so that Chinese people could not leagally live in the United States. This law was supposed to last for at least ten years.  This is important to our states history because it is yet another example of prejudice in the U.S.A–including Washington state.

In chapter 7 the thingthat I will remember most is The Whitman Massacre. What I learned about this was that one day the Whitman’s were in their home and Narcissa walked into the kitchen to see  two Indians with guns in her kitchen. They demanded that she give them the milk or they would kill. She ran and slammed the door to the kitchen. They yelled that they needed medicine so Marcus walked in to talk to them, making sure that his family stayed where they were. After arguing and yelling they finally heard a gun shot. Marcus was shot and died later. After that, Narcissa was looking out the window when an Indian shot her through the window. She later died. The kids hid for safety as both their parents were now dead. This was important because it led to the Cayuse Wars, where Americans hunted for the Whitman’s killers. All five Indians who were part of this were hanged.

In chapter 6, the thing that I will remember most is the Oregon Trail journeys made by the many dedicated emigrants. What I learned about these people and their incredible journeys is the amount of food and supplies that they took with them. They took over 400 pounds of food. Some of this included sugar, flour, coffee, bacon, and more. I also remembered the transportation that they had. They took covered wagons pulled by oxen, but due to the 400 pounds of food there was little room for the actual people, so most of the emigrants walked the 2000 miles, alongside the wagon. Finally, I remember that if someone was sitting in the wagon, such as a child, and they fell out of the wagon, the huge wagons would kill them on the spot. All this was an important part of our states history because without these dedicated emigrants journeys, we may not have the Oregon Country as part of the U.S.A today. The emigrants set up colonies there which helped the U.S.A have claim of that land.

In chapter 5, the things I will remember most is the Pacific Company. What I learned about the Pacific Company is that it was started by John Jacob Astor. I also remember that they got to Fort Astoria before David Thompson of the North West Fur Company. Finally, I remember that the company only lasted three years, and ended in a failure. Not only did 61 of the employees die, but Astor lost almost all of his investments. This was important to our states history because, despite it’s short existence, the Pacific Company was a major part of the fur trade.