California 'architect' of 19th century native American genocide, 'US govt 'funded' most of killing'

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Benjamin Madley, History Professor at UCLA and author of 'An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873'.

Drawing upon years of archival research, his work challenges long-standing narratives that attribute this demographic collapse primarily to disease or displacement.

He argues that what occurred meets the legal and historical criteria of genocide: a state-sponsored system of violence.

Despite immense loss, California’s Indigenous peoples have endured, rebuilt, and continue to assert their sovereignty.