An American genocide : the United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873

Resource Information

The work An American genocide : the United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873 represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

An American genocide : the United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873

Title remainder

the United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873

Statement of responsibility

Benjamin Madley

Title variation

United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873

Creator

• Madley, Benjamin,

Author

• Madley, Benjamin,

Subject

• California -- Race relations
• Genocide -- California -- History -- 19th century
• Indians of North America -- Crimes against
• California -- History -- 19th century
• Indians of North America -- California -- History -- 19th century

Language

eng

Summary

Provides an account of the government-sanctioned genocide of California Indians under United States rule. Between 1846 and 1873, California's Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Madley uncovers the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended. He describes pre-contact California and precursors to the genocide before explaining how the Gold Rush stirred vigilante violence against California Indians. He narrates the rise of a state-sanctioned killing machine and the broad societal, judicial, and political support for genocide. Many participated: vigilantes, volunteer state militiamen, U.S. Army soldiers, U.S. congressmen, California governors, and others. Ultimately, the state and federal governments spent at least $1,700,000 on campaigns against California Indians. Besides evaluating government officials' culpability, Madley considers why the slaughter constituted genocide and how other possible genocides within and beyond the Americas might be investigated using the methods presented in this book. --Adapted from publisher description

Member of

• Lamar series in western history

Awards note

Winner, Los Angeles Times Book Prizes

Cataloging source

YDX

Dewey number

979.400497

Illustrations

• illustrations
• maps

Index

index present

LC call number

E78.C15

LC item number

M33 2017

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography

Series statement

The Lamar series in Western history