Exploring the California Act's Impact on Indigenous Rights

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4. The California Act for the Government and Protection of Indians – Describe in detail this former California law, its provisions and impacts on California Indians 4. In 1850, California passed an Act that would take away more of the rights that Indians had. The Act contained the statement “in no case shall a white man be convicted on any offense upon the testimony of an Indian.” (California’s War on Indians 1). Basically, if a white man were to murder someone or did anything illegal and if only Indians saw it happen, they wouldn’t be able to convict the white man because of the witnesses race. The Act also narrowed down the Indians land rights, also enforced a slave like law in which white people were allowed to go and pick up Indian children …show more content…

(CWOI 6). Legally you were allowed to enslave and traffic Native Americans, especially women and children to do whatever forced labor you need done. While the state forced Indians to work, the federal government sent three officials to negotiate treaties with the Native Americans, because the federal government imagined Indian tribes to be foreign nations, so they were treating the treaties as a well to develop some type of agreement and to ensure that it would be peaceful on the lands. The treaties contained laws such as giving Indians sufficient money to buy their own equipment and food to become self-sufficient (NPS 12). When the treaties were put in place by the president, the Senate went in session to discuss the pros and cons of it, they declined all of the treaties that were proposed. After the failed treaties passed, the United States government continued to move Indians into small sectors and house them and forcing them to assimilate to modern culture. The effects of this Act lasted 16 years until 1866, when the 14th amendment was put in place which stated that it should not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law,” nor deny anyone “the equal protection of the law.”(US Constitution 14th Amendment). The California Act for the Government and Protection of

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