Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California.ACLU of Northern California explains that California has a reputation as the proverbial “Golden State” of opportunity, promise, innovation, and fearless resistance. But there is an inconvenient truth that may surprise anyone who learned that California decried slavery and was admitted to the Union as a “free” state. "Little known is the fact that the state’s founding went hand in hand with official government policies that sanctioned slavery and genocide,” says Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California. African Americans toiled as slaves in the mines during the Gold Rush and beyond even though the state constitution banned slavery. Through narratives, public records, archival material and images, this project exposes California’s hidden history and its legacy in the state’s courts, culture, and conscience.