Table of Contents
What was the main source of labor in the California missions?
A whole set of circumstances made Native Americans by far the most important source of labor in California from the 1770s until the early 1850s, circumstances ranging from a scarcity of alternative sources of labor, at least until the gold rush brought flocks of white settlers in the 1850s; to the geographic isolation …
How were the Native Americans treated during the missions?
Local tribes were relocated and conscripted into forced labor on the mission, stretching from San Diego to San Francisco. Disease, starvation, over work and torture decimated these tribes. Many were baptized as Roman Catholics by the Franciscan missionaries at the missions.
How did the Indians work in the missions?
All the work in the missions, according to both European observers and reports by the Native Americans themselves, was performed by the Indians. Getting them to adjust to working required strict regimentation and often harsh discipline.
What was the goal of the mission work?
The goal of mission work is to win new converts, establish these young disciples in the faith, and incorporate them into a local church. Schnabel describes the missionary task with an almost identical set of three points. “Missionaries communicate the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior to people who have not heard or accepted this news.”
Why did the Franciscans want to set up missions?
Their goal, in setting up a string of twenty one missions along the coast from San Diego to Santa Rosa, was to establish a military and religious basis for empire. For the Franciscan missionaries, the Native Americans, like nature itself, were there to serve the goals of God and Empire.
What was the impact of the California missions?
The California missions, which stretched from San Diego to Sonoma, had a significant impact on the Native Californians. The mission era influenced culture, religion, architecture, art, language and economy in the region.