About This Project
Pivotal Moments of the Left Coast
Project Overview
This website examines four transformative events that shaped the American Pacific Coast between 1906 and 2020. Each event represents a distinct type of crisis or social upheaval, yet together they reveal recurring patterns in how West Coast communities respond to disaster, organize for change, and contest authority.
The project was created as part of a course on American history, exploring how regional identity, federal-local tensions, and traditions of activism have developed along the Pacific seaboard over more than a century.
The Four Events
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire (1906)
A natural disaster that destroyed much of San Francisco and raised lasting questions about urban vulnerability, disaster response, and the balance between civil liberties and emergency powers.
Seattle General Strike (1919)
The first general strike in American history, demonstrating that workers could shut down and operate a city through collective action.
Free Speech Movement (1964)
A campus uprising at UC Berkeley that transformed American higher education and pioneered tactics later adopted by movements across the political spectrum.
Portland Federal Courthouse Protests (2020)
Sustained protests that became a flashpoint for debates over federal authority, policing, and racial justice in contemporary America.
Methodology
Each event page draws on primary sources, scholarly articles, and journalistic accounts to present a narrative that situates the event in its historical context while drawing connections to broader patterns. The Themes section synthesizes these connections, examining how recurring issues like federal power, the labeling of dissent, protest tactics, and urban identity play out across different eras.
All sources are cited with access dates, and images are attributed to their original archives or publications.
Technical Details
This site was built with Next.js and React, using Tailwind CSS for styling. The interactive map displays the four event locations along the Pacific Coast. The timeline on the home page allows visitors to explore events chronologically.
Created for HIST 106, Fall 2025.