Josefa Segovia
Josefa Segovia, also known as Juanita or Josefa Loaiza, was a Californio woman who was lynched by hanging in Downieville, California, United States, on July 5, 1851. She is known as the first recorded Mexican woman to be lynched in California. Josefa is also an important figure in Chicana feminist theory as her case highlights the violence that Mexican woman were facing at the time and the resistance against it.
Historical background
Beginning in 1835, a dispute between Mexican and Anglo migrants was growing over western territories such as California created high racial and gendered tensions which led to the lynching of Josefa. While it was Mexican territory, the Great Migration created a sentiment in the Anglo migrant populations to annex the territory into the USA leading to the Mexican-American War.In 1848, right before the Mexican-American war ended, gold was found in California. This started the Gold Rush and resulted in as many as 25,000 Mexicans, 30,000 Anglo-Americans, and migrants from countries in Asia and Latino America migrating to California to mine. By 1849, the population of non-native Californians grew to over 100,000. Two-thirds of this non-native population were Americans. Despite the fact that the work of mining was the hardest kind of labor, the promise of gold drew miners west every year. But the war had resulted in lasting tensions between Mexicans and the Anglos resulting in discriminatory policies such as the miner's tax.
The way women were seen in the West during the Gold Rush was also very much based on their wealth and their race. A majority of Anglo women who migrated West stayed in San Francisco, as it held more social and financial stability for them. The women who stayed in mining towns were more likely to be Mexican, Asian, or Chilean. These women were also a visible minority in mining town's population, which exposed them to greater forms of sexual harassment. Rojas, a modern-day scholar, cites these as contributing factors that made Josefa more vulnerable to attack.
Known facts about her case
On July 4, 1851, an Anglo-American miner Frederick Cannon broke into the home of Josefa. Accounts of the time reported that she was not assaulted. Other accounts from historians say he broke down her door and harassed her.The next day, on July 5, 1851, her partner José Segovia confronted the Anglo-American man who then followed José home and yelled profanities at both Josefa and Jose. This altercation ended with Josefa stabbing Cannon. A mob of the Anglo-American miners in Downieville, CA then gathered and held an extrajudicial trial where they decided Josefa was guilty. On that night, Josefa was hanged on the Jersey Bridge on the Yuba River.
Speculation and uncertainty
Josefa Segovia is widely claimed to be the only woman in California to have been lynched, as she was forcefully held during an extrajudicial trial then killed by the mob of Anglo Americans. However, the historical record of lynchings is incomplete. The original records for lynchings were categorized solely as having Black or White victims, erasing a history of violence against Mexicans. Additionally, violence against Mexican women was not reported as commonly as violence against white women. So while Josefa is the only recorded woman lynched in California, there could be more.There is much speculation about why Josefa stabbed Cannon. Writing in 1887, Hubert Howe Bancroft, a historian of the time, reported that Cannon kicked down Josefa's door while he was drunk, but left without assaulting her. However, modern day scholars, including William D. Carrigan and Maythee Rojas, generally agree that when Cannon knocked down Josefa's door, he was actively attempting to assault or harass her.
Similarly, the details of the following day, July 5, are unclear. Some accounts of the story claim Cannon returned to Josefa's house to apologize for his behavior. Other scholars say he returned to fight with her husband, José Segovia, who confronted him for breaking into Josefa and his home. All accounts conclude that the altercation ultimately led to Cannon calling Josefa a "whore." Josefa then stabbed him.