Forced labor in California facts for kids
Forced labor in California was a system where people were made to work without pay, even though California's laws said slavery was not allowed. This system mostly affected Native Californians. An important law passed in 1850, called the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, allowed Native Californian children to be taken care of by white families (called indenture). It also allowed Native Californians who were arrested to be forced to work for others (called convict leasing). These systems meant that Native Californians could be physically punished and lost many of their legal rights.
Contents
Early History of Forced Labor
Spanish California (1769-1821)
Before Europeans arrived, there were many Native Californian people, possibly up to a million. In 1769, Spanish settlers came to California. Padre Junípero Serra started the first Spanish mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
Spanish priests, called padres, often moved Native Californians to these missions. There, Native Californians were forced to work. They became shoemakers, carpenters, builders, farmers, and cattle herders. The padres saw them as new members of the Catholic Church. Some padres treated them with respect, but others did not.
Spanish soldiers also forced Native Californians to do hard work in their forts, called presidios. If Native Californians tried to escape, the soldiers would hunt them down. These forts helped Spain control Alta California.
Native Californians often fought back against Spanish rule. In 1775, the Tipai-Ipai people attacked Mission San Diego de Alcalá. They destroyed the mission and killed some Spanish people. Sometimes, Native Californians simply left the missions. When uprisings happened, Native Californians were punished, and some were even killed.
Mexican California (1821-1846)
From 1821 to 1846, California was ruled by Mexico. In 1824, Mexico's constitution said that all people, including Native Californians, were citizens. This meant they had the right to live in their villages.
However, a law called the Colonization Act of 1824 gave large areas of land to individuals. Native Californians often became the workers on these large farms, called ranchos. This created a system where they were still forced to work.
In 1833, the Mexican government took control of the missions. They said the land should go to Native Californians who had become Catholic. But instead, many officials took the land for themselves. Wealthy Mexicans, called Californios, often attacked Native Californian villages to gain power and land. By 1846, Mexican leaders were even planning to destroy Native Californian villages.
Even though Native Californians had more rights under Mexican rule, they were still the main workforce on ranchos and in towns. The economy changed from mission work to working on large private estates.
California Under U.S. Rule
American Settlement and Population Decline
Americans started moving to California in the 1820s. In 1848, California officially became part of the United States. This led to even more American immigrants, especially because of the Gold Rush.
The number of Native Californians dropped sharply. Before 1769, there were about 300,000. By 1834, it was 250,000, mostly due to diseases from Europe. But after the U.S. took over in 1848, the population fell much faster. From about 150,000, it dropped to 30,000 by 1870, and only 16,000 by 1900. Many historians describe this period as a time of great violence and loss for Native Californians.
End of Legal Forced Labor
During the American Civil War, groups who were against slavery and forced labor joined together. They slowly started to end these systems in California. Some leaders still thought that forcing Native Americans to work was a way to "civilize" them.
In 1863, after the Emancipation Proclamation was announced, California lawmakers ended all legal forms of forced work for Native Americans. Even though it was illegal, some people continued to kidnap and hold Native Americans in forced labor until around 1870. This practice finally ended because more European and Chinese immigrants arrived, providing cheap labor. Also, the Native Californian population had been greatly reduced.
How the Labor System Worked
Illegal Practices
Even though the 1850 laws had rules, many Californians used them to force Native Americans into work. They would arrest Native Americans and then "hire them out." The time limits for this forced work were often ignored, turning it into a form of slavery. This helped meet the high demand for workers in homes and on farms.
Kidnapping raids became common. People would kidnap Native Americans to force them into servitude. Even though this was against the law, police rarely stopped it. The people forced to work were often treated poorly because new workers could be bought for as little as $35.
The acting governor, Richard B. Mason, reported that more than half of the miners in California were Native Americans. Local judges were in charge of enforcing the 1850 Act. Many judges used the unclear language of the law to continue the kidnapping of Native American children until the 1860s.
An illegal trade of kidnapped people existed and was rarely stopped. It was only policed after forced labor systems were officially ended.
Laws and Their Impact
The Act for the Government and Protection of Indians was passed in California in 1850. Here's what it allowed:
- White people could ask a judge to remove Native Americans from land they claimed to own.
- Anyone could ask a judge to get Native American children for indenture. This meant they would care for the child and control their work until they were adults (18 for boys, 15 for girls). In reality, this led to a trade of kidnapped Native American children. Kidnappers would raid villages and take children. White settlers often paid $50-$100 for Native American children to work for them.
- If a Native American was found guilty of a crime and had to pay a fine, a white person could pay the fine for them. In return, the Native American had to work until the fine was paid off. The person paying the fine was supposed to treat the Native American well and provide food and clothes. This system often meant that Native Americans were sold out of jail to the highest bidder.
- Native Americans could not speak in court for or against white people. If Native Americans were found guilty of stealing, they could be whipped (up to 25 lashes) and fined up to $200.
Roles of Forced Laborers
Historians do not have many records to fully understand how widespread forced labor was in California. However, it is believed that many forced laborers were used in California's growing farming economy. Most of the people forced to work were Native American women and children. They often worked as domestic servants in homes because there were not enough white women and children in California at the time.
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Native California Population, according to Cook 1978.
