UCLA historian documents US government funding of California Native American genocide, 1846-1873

Benjamin Madley, a UCLA history professor, presented research on a France 24 program challenging the historical narrative that California's Native American population collapse resulted primarily from disease and displacement. Madley's archival research argues the United States government directly funded and orchestrated the killing of California Indians between 1846 and 1873, meeting legal definitions of genocide. This scholarship reframes a critical period of American history, suggesting systematic federal involvement in mass atrocities rather than incidental consequences of westward expansion. The findings carry implications for how Americans understand indigenous history and federal accountability for historical injustices.