1.
The impact of Spanish and American colonialism on California's Indigenous population from 1700 to 1900 was devastating. The Spanish colonizers brought diseases that the Indigenous population had no immunity to, resulting in a massive population decline. They also forced the Indigenous people to convert to Christianity and imposed their way of life on them, including forcing them to abandon their traditional practices and languages. The Spanish also established the mission system, which had the goal of converting Indigenous people to Christianity and integrating them into Spanish colonial society. The American period saw even further displacement and destruction of Indigenous communities, including the forced removal of Indigenous people from their lands and the establishment of Indian reservations. The Mexican community in California at the end of the 1800s was a mix of Indigenous, European, and African ancestry, with many people of mixed heritage.
2.
The mission system was an instrument of Spanish colonialism during the Mexican and Spanish period of Alta California. The mission system was a network of religious outposts established by the Spanish to convert Indigenous people to Christianity and to integrate them into Spanish colonial society. The missions were run by Catholic priests who had significant power over the Indigenous people living there. The system was highly exploitative and often involved forced labor, abuse, and cultural erasure. Indigenous people were forced to abandon their traditional practices and languages, and were often subject to violence and punishment if they refused to comply with the mission system's demands.
3.
Early American aggression in Alta California involved efforts to impose their version of history on the region. The Americans sought to displace the Indigenous communities and establish their own settlements and economies. They also attempted to erase the Indigenous history of the region and establish a new, American narrative. This involved renaming places, erasing Indigenous languages and cultures, and rewriting history to paint the Americans as the rightful heirs of the land. This aggression also involved violence and displacement, including the forced removal of Indigenous people from their lands and the establishment of Indian reservations. This period of American aggression contributed to the continued oppression and marginalization of Indigenous people in California.