Ambiguous Justice by Vanessa Ann Gunther - 9780870137792

Ambiguous JusticeNative Americans and the Law in Southern California, 1848-1890\nAuthor(s): Vanessa Ann Gunther\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Michigan State University Press, United States\nImprint: Michigan State University Press\nISBN-13: 9780870137792, 978-0870137792\nSynopsis\nIn 1769, Spain took action to solidify control over its northern New World territories by establishing a series of missions and presidios in what is now modern California. To populate these remote establishments, the Spanish crown relied on Franciscan priests, whose role it was to convince the Native Californian population to abandon their traditional religious practices and adopt Catholicism. During their tutelage, the Indians of California would be indoctrinated into Spanish society, where they would learn obedience to the church and crown.\n The legal system of Southern California has been used by Anglo populations as a social and demographic tool to control Native Americans. Following the Mexican-Ameri.