About Lynching and Mob Violence in Oregon and the Pacific West
*Subject matter discusses violence inappropriate for young children. Audience discretion advised.
David A. Johnson uncovers the history of mob violence from the 1850s to the mid-20th century as part of the Unjust-Justice.org project. He will explain different types of mob violence-lynchings, contrived lynch courts, vigilance committees, mobbings, and massacres-and summarize some of the most notorious examples, such as the lynching of Alonzo Tucker in Marshfield (Coos Bay) in 1902, as well as lesser known, widespread mobbings of Asian communities from the 1880s to 1920s.
Johnson has worked on Unjust-Justice.org since 2015, a public history website that maps, documents, and analyzes a century of mob violence in the Pacific West. The intended audience includes high school and college students, teachers, scholars, and the public.
David A. Johnson is professor emeritus of history at Portland State University, where he taught from 1979-2019. He has received multiple awards for his research and instruction. Johnson is author of the award-winning book, Founding the Far West: California, Oregon, Nevada, 1840-1890. Johnson is currently working on a book entitled The Curious Tale of the Hanging of Juanita, a study of history writing about lynching violence, race, and gender in the California gold rush.
