When people think of American slavery, they usually picture slaves picking cotton and working on large plantations in the south, but little is known about slavery in the west during the 1850s, when enslaved African Americans could be found working in the gold fields and domestic spaces of California.
The little-known story of how slavery infiltrated California and the American west theconversation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theconversation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.