Systems of California Indian Servitude Under US Rule
‘‘Unholy Traffic in Human Blood and Souls’’: Systems of California Indian Servitude under U.S. Rule BENJAMIN MADLEY The author teaches in the history department and American Indian Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. From 1846 onward, at least 20,000 California Indians worked in varied forms of bondage under U.S. rule. This essay provides the first article-length survey of the statewide rise and fall of California’s systems of Indian servitude under U.S. rule, including their Russo-Hispanic antecedents, establishment under martial law, expansion under civilian rule, and dismantling by state and federal authorities. Further, this article proposes the first taxonomy of these systems and, in conclusion, discusses how California Indian servitude illuminates the histories of California, the western United States, the nation as a whole, and the western hemisphere while suggesting new analytical methods and research directions. Key words: American Indian labor, American Indian slavery, California Indians, California legal history, indentured servitude, unfree labor The author thanks Stephen Aron, Colin Calloway, Boyd Cothran, Robin Derby, Bruce Duthu, John Faragher, Daniel Lynch, Timothy Macholz, William Marotti, Valerie Mat- sumoto, Preston McBride, Edward Melillo, Aaron O’Connell, Carla Pestana, Jesse Philips, Arthur Rolston, Peter Stacey, Kevin Terraciano, Owen Williams, Craig Yirush, Judy Yung, Natale Zappia, and the Pacific Historical Review’s editors and anonymous reviewers. Michael Magliari provided patient and invaluable guidance. Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 83, No. 4, pages 626–667. ISSN 0030-8684, eISSN 1533-8584 © 2014 by the Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, at http://www.ucpressjournals.
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