Fact check: Is California stolen land Who stole it Timeline

1. Summary of the results

The question of California's acquisition is complex and multilayered. California was formally acquired by the United States from Mexico in 1848 through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo for $15 million, as part of a larger territorial acquisition of 529,000 square miles ^{[1] [2]}. However, this legal transaction masks a more complex history of displacement and dispossession.

The Indigenous population of California suffered devastating losses, declining from approximately 310,000 to 150,000 during Spanish and Mexican rule, and further dropping to 70,000 after the American Gold Rush ^[3]. California's first governor explicitly called for "a war of extermination" against Native people ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

There are several competing narratives about California's acquisition:

• The Legal Perspective: Some argue the acquisition was legally and morally justified, citing the small Mexican population (around 80,000) in the Southwest and Mexico's political instability at the time ^[5].
• The Indigenous Perspective: Native lands were systematically taken through various mechanisms:
• Unratified treaties, such as the 1852 Treaty of Temecula ^[6]
• Military force and displacement
• Systematic subjugation of Indigenous peoples
• The 1958 Rancheria Act, which stripped tribes like Wilton Rancheria of federal recognition ^[7]
• The Black Landowners' Perspective: Land theft also affected Black property owners through:
• Fraudulent legal proceedings
• Eminent domain
• Violent intimidation

Specific cases include Edward Hatton (209 acres), Daniel Blue (60 acres), and Rufus Burgess (420 acres) ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The simple question "Is California stolen land?" oversimplifies a complex historical process that involved multiple actors and phases:

• The Spanish colonization ^[8]
• Mexican rule (1821-1846)
• American acquisition ^[9]
• The Gold Rush period
• Continuing land disputes and recognition issues

Different groups benefit from different interpretations of this history:

• Government institutions benefit from emphasizing the legal transfer through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
• Indigenous rights organizations benefit from highlighting the systematic displacement and broken treaties
• Property developers and current landowners benefit from emphasizing the legitimacy of current ownership structures
• Civil rights organizations benefit from highlighting historical injustices against Black landowners