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Benjamin Madley: The California Genocide No One Talks About

Robert Scheer sits down with professor and author Benjamin Madley to talk about a little known part of California's history.
Benjamin Madley, left, and Robert Scheer. [Photo: Alex Pieros]

UCLA history professor Benjamin Madley’s book An American Genocide: The United States and the California Catastrophe 1846-1873 details the killing of tens of thousands of Native Americans as the state was being settled in the 19th century. In their conversation, Madley tells Robert Scheer why he believes these massacres did, in fact, constitute genocide in its 20th century United Nations definition. He talks about white settlers’ dehumanization and paranoia about “the other,” and the exceptions to that way of thinking. Finally, Madley discusses how the government supported killing native Americans and how people could read about them in the local newspapers.

Credits

Guest:
Benjamin Madley – University of California, Los Angeles

Host:
Robert Scheer

Producers:
Joshua ScheerRebecca Mooney