Race, Masculinity and Power in Early Los Angeles

Daniel B. Lynch's talk explores how Andrés Pico, Peter Biggs and Antonio F. Coronel helped shape Los Angeles after the U.S.-Mexico War. Though not white Americans themselves, all three men endorsed American-style white supremacy while drawing on backgrounds and forms of authority that distinguished them from white American settlers. Their influence extended from militias and vigilantism to the social underworld and the shaping of Los Angeles politics and historical memory. Amid extremely hostile circumstances, they achieved a surprising degree of local prominence, at least for a time.

Daniel B. Lynch holds a Ph.D. in U.S. history from UCLA and specializes in the history of Southern California. He is the author of Dancing with Manifest Destiny: Elite Men of Color and the Making of American Los Angeles.