Although California entered the Union as a free state, the reality for many natives was different. Laws in the 1850s made it possible to force Indians to work, remove children from families, and punish people for so-called "vagrancy." Formally, this is called the contract service system. In practice, for thousands of indigenous people, it became a form of de facto slavery.

Although California entered the Union as a free state, the reality for many natives was different. Laws in the 1850s made it possible to force Indians to work, remove children from families, and punish people for so-called "vagrancy." Formally, this is called the contract service system. In practice, for thousands of indigenous people, it became a form of de facto slavery.