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Murder State: California's Native American Genocide, 1846-1873 Paperback – March 1, 2015

by Brendan C. Lindsay (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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"[Murder State is] one of the most important works ever published on the history of American Indians in California in the mid-nineteenth century."—Steven Newcomb, Indian Country

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Euro-American citizenry of California carried out mass genocide against the Native population of their state, using the processes and mechanisms of democracy to secure land and resources for themselves and their private interests. The murder, rape, and enslavement of thousands of Native people were legitimized by notions of democracy—in this case mob rule—through a discreetly organized and brutally effective series of petitions, referenda, town hall meetings, and votes at every level of California government.

Murder State is a comprehensive examination of these events and their early legacy. Preconceptions about Native Americans as shaped by the popular press and by immigrants’ experiences on the Overland Trail to California were used to further justify the elimination of Native people in the newcomers’ quest for land. The allegedly “violent nature” of Native people was often merely their reaction to the atrocities committed against them as they were driven from their ancestral lands and alienated from their traditional resources.

In this narrative history employing numerous primary sources and the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on genocide, Brendan C. Lindsay examines the darker side of California history, one rarely studied in detail, and the motives of both Native Americans and Euro-Americans at the time. Murder State calls attention to the misuse of democracy to justify and commit genocide.



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Previous page
  1. Print length
    456 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Nebraska Press
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780803269668
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0803269668
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Murder State is] one of the most important works ever published on the history of American Indians in California in the mid-nineteenth century."—Steven Newcomb, Indian Country

“A significant historical account detailing white pioneers perpetrating genocide against California Indians. . . . [Employs] compelling evidence.”—Clifford E. Trafzer, Journal of American Studies


  Published On: 2014-06-04


“Lindsay’s methodology and conclusions . . . highlight important questions for scholars to ask of frontier societies, their legal systems, and their citizens.”—Brenden Rensink, Western Historical Quarterly




 


“Perhaps the most provocative aspect of his book is Lindsay’s connection of American democracy to the killing of Indians.”—Robert G. Lee, American Historical Review

Published On: 2014-06-04

“Democracy and genocide are two activities that most would declare antagonistic. Yet Brendan Lindsay presents primary evidence that reveals the hatred and murderous acts committed by early Californians and government officials, as a grassroots movement, to settle the ‘Golden State’ by exterminating and dispossessing Native peoples of their ancestral homelands.”—Jack Norton, Hupa historian and emeritus professor of Native American studies, Humboldt State University Published On: 2011-09-27

“Historian Brendan Lindsay has documented the attempted extermination of California’s first people and provided a detailed, comprehensive historical treatment of California’s genocide. He offers a groundbreaking study that will change the historiography of California and genocide studies—a penetrating but readable book that will quickly become a classic.”—Larry Myers (Pomo), executive secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission Published On: 2011-09-27

About the Author

Brendan C. Lindsay is an assistant professor of history at California State University, Sacramento.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0803269668
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Nebraska Press (March 1, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780803269668
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803269668
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

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Brendan C. Lindsay

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
42 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

M.S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and Shocking Truth
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
California History was taught during 4th grade in California Public Schools some 57 years ago. A lot was left out. The big question was where did they go? Some of an answer was the Native peoples of California were meek, passive, didnt put up a fight. Just more lies about a downright ugly “policy” based on unfounded fears and hatred, greed and manifest destiny.
I am sorry to have been ignorant for so long.
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Tom F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2022
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This book is extremely-well researched and contains revelation after revelation. Terrific presentation of history; haunting. does not let go of the reader.
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Beek2350
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, bad narration.
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is tough. Many of the events described in this book are difficult to hear. I had to take a couple weeks off from listening to this audio book to avoid getting too depressed. The author was relentless in his condemnation of Californians in their genocide against the native people.

I ended up skipping much of the introduction. Historians like to quibble over semantics and this author thought it was necessary to define genocide with painstaking detail in order to prove this thesis that a genocide was committed. I simply conceded the point and moved on with the book.

The narrator could have used some help with pronunciations, though. Oregon was pronounced "Or-e-'gawn," for example. There were other, very common words that were mispronounced as well but I'm writing this review about a month after finishing the book. I can forgive some of the place names as I am a local and am very familiar with California. But the mispronunciations seemed excessive. There was also a lot of audio editing that had increased volume or other startling or choppy flow. I give the book 4 stars but the narration would be down around 2-3 as among the worst narrations I've heard.

Overall, this was a great book, however. The amount of source material must have taken some time to gather. The author did a very good job making the story flow. I would recommend the book to anybody who enjoys California history, not because it's all that enjoyable a read (it's emotionally draining to hear about this stuff) but because it's part of our local history that needs recognition. How we choose to live as victors of a genocide is a question we all must wrestle with somehow to live honestly in this place we call home.
15 people found this helpful
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Boulanger
5.0 out of 5 stars Watch out for Michael
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have not read this book yet (I have just ordered it) but as I read the reviews I was struck by "Michael's" review, so negative compared to other reviews. So negative, in fact, that I clicked on Michael's name to see what he had to say about other books. He says exactly the same thing about at least four other books, largely cutting and pasting the same words that he used to blast this book. The other books have nothing to do with California Indians (one is about Rome while another is about Osama Bin Laden). Michael seems to have an agenda and I am not quite sure what it is unless it is to disparage every book that may not endorse his political viewpoint, and by reading his reviews you will quickly surmise that viewpoint.
39 people found this helpful
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Ernesto O.
5.0 out of 5 stars Shows the progression on how making people the other it sets up the road map for Genocide
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Goes into great detail linearly that shows the path that leads to genocide
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greg carlson
3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the uninformed
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
I found little more information than I had learned in courses I took in college 50 years ago. But for the uninformed, the book is full of information that more people should understand before taking their families to California missions.
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reelindians
5.0 out of 5 stars Most important read~
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a history that is so shocking, and so carefully hidden, it is a MUST read for everyone, but especially those of us who live in California and have absolutely NO IDEA what happened to the Native people who were here first.
8 people found this helpful
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Zach
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
Tought me things i never learned in school
One person found this helpful
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