Konkow Maidu slaver massacre facts for kids

The Konkow Maidu massacre was a terrible event that happened in 1847. During this time, some settlers killed 12 to 20 Konkow Maidu people. This happened during a raid to capture people for forced labor, near what is now Chico, California.

Understanding the History of the Konkow Maidu Massacre

Life in California Before the Massacre

In 1839, a man named John Sutter moved to a place called Alta California. This area is now part of the United States, but back then, it was controlled by Mexico. Sutter started building a large fort and a huge farm. He received this land from the Mexican government. The idea was that his settlement would help stop Americans from taking over the land.

To build his fort and run his farm, Sutter used the labor of Native American people. People at the time said he forced them to work. They reported that he held them in very harsh conditions. One writer, James Clyman, said in 1846 that Sutter kept "600 to 800 Indians in a complete state of Slavery." Sutter was also involved in attacks against Native Americans. These attacks were often in response to cattle being stolen.

The Spread of Forced Labor

John Sutter welcomed new settlers, especially Americans, to Alta California. Soon, many large farms, called ranches, appeared in the area. Many of these ranches also forced Native Americans to work for them. This practice of forced labor became very common.

Visitors to California described Native Americans as being "legally reduced to servitude." This means they were treated like servants or slaves by law. One American writer, Lansford Warren Hastings, said that Native Americans in California were in a state "more degrading, and more oppressive than that of our slaves in the south."

Even though Sutter himself used forced labor, he eventually spoke out against other settlers. He criticized them for capturing Native Americans. In 1847, Sutter was working for the U.S. government. He told his bosses that other people who captured Native Americans would "shoot them, steal away their women and children." He said they would even attack whole villages, killing many innocent people.

The 1847 Incident Near Chico

The terrible event happened in late June or early July of 1847. Several Spanish-speaking men met with friendly Konkow Maidu people. This meeting took place about sixty miles north of Sutter's Fort, near modern-day Chico.

The Konkow Maidu people welcomed these men. But after being treated kindly, the men started to capture people. They took men, women, and children as prisoners. When some tried to escape, the men shot and killed ten to thirteen of them. They then took at least thirty Konkow Maidu people, mostly women and children, as captives. On the way back, they even killed young children who could not keep up.

What Happened After the Massacre

John Sutter reported the names of the men involved in the massacre. These men were Antonio Armijo, Robert Smith, and John Eggar. The U.S. Army arrested them. However, when they went to trial, the judges found all three men not guilty.

Later Laws and the End of Forced Labor

This was the last time the U.S. military government tried to stop people from capturing Native Americans. It was also the last time they took such cases to trial.

On April 22, 1850, California became a state. Its new government passed a law called the "Act for the Government and Protection of Indians." This law made it legal for white settlers to kidnap and force Native Americans into labor. In 1851, California's governor said that a "war of extermination will continue to be waged…until the Indian race becomes extinct." This meant he expected Native Americans to be wiped out.

Soon, this idea became part of the law. A law in 1851 allowed settlers to form groups to kill Native Americans. It also let them ask the government to pay for their expenses. By 1852, the state had approved over a million dollars for these claims.

In 1856, a newspaper in San Francisco wrote that "Extermination is the quickest and cheapest remedy." This meant killing Native Americans was seen as the best way to solve problems. In 1860, the state passed another law. This law made it easier to force Native Americans of different ages and conditions into labor. A newspaper at the time said that powerful people wanted this law to make money from enslaved Native Americans. It also showed how rich people used the law to get Native American slaves from reservations. The newspaper called the law "a complete system of slavery."

Finally, on April 27, 1863, California made it illegal to enslave Native Americans. This was five months after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved African Americans. However, forced labor continued in other ways, like "apprenticeship," until at least 1874.