Land Litigation in California after the Mexican American War

Michelle Morton, Bancroft Curator for Latin American Collections
Thursday, November 16
Lewis Latimer Room, Faculty Club
12:00 noon

The Land Case Files at the Bancroft Library are documents from court cases generated by the 1851 "Act to Ascertain and Settle Private Land Claims in the State of California." This federal law required Mexican landowners to prove their titles in U.S. courts, initiating a lengthy litigation process that lasted, in some cases, into the 20th century. Michelle Morton will discuss the history of these land cases, the people and documents represented in the case files, and some of the ways they have been used by researchers.

» The Bancroft Library's fall 2006 event calendar