Anti-Chinese riot- Rock Springs, Wyoming

In Rock Springs, Wyoming on September 2, 1885, riots broke out between Chinese immigrant miners and white immigrant miners. The riots were due to the large amount of racial tension that existed between the two groups. This was because the Chinese miners were getting hired more that the white immigrant miners. This was because the Chinese were getting paid less than the other white miners. So the selfish white miners, who were already getting paid more that the Chinese, began to mistreat the Chinese miners. 150 white miners sparked the riot that caused the death of 28 Chinese miners, left 15 wounded, and 75 Chinese homes were burned to the ground. The attacks on the Chinese were extremely violent and portrayed sheer brutality. Not only was there physical human damage, but also the physical property damage was estimated at around $150, 000 worth of damage that the US had to pay.

The riot brought about wide spread media coverage and made the Anti-Chinese riot a diplomatic and political issue. The Rock Springs riot brought change and awareness to Anti-Chinese violence in the west, the mining industry, and it even potentially affected trade between China and the US.