Native Americans and enslaved Africans suffered tremendously from colonial rule. Native Americans were gathered and concentrated in Spanish missions during the 18^th century when the Spaniards were fortifying its territory against potential encroachment by Britain. Native Americans were enlisted as army when the Spanish regime was sweeping through territories controlled by Indians on its way to what is known as California. Native Americans fought one another either by force or the Spaniards succeeded in exploiting the selfish intentions of some indigenous groups to protect their respective territories. When the Spaniards and Indians settled in the present-day California, they were gathered in Spanish Missions initiated by Father Junipero Serra. These facilities serve as concentration camps where Indians were treated inhumanely. They were forced to adapt to the Christian way of life (Menchaca 134). Oppression was likewise experienced by African-Americans. Slaves were employed to fight for the colonial government in order to conquer the Native Americans (Restall 51).

It must be noted that the repression of American Indians is marginalized in the writing of history and in the teaching of history in schools. As pointed out by Miranda in his article Lying to Children about the California Missions and the Indians, the colonizers were portrayed in the positive light such that the Spanish conquest should be taken as a positive thing where the native Americans received the gift of civilization. Because of the conquest and the spread of Christianity, the perceived barbarism of the native population was addressed. What has been discarded in the prevailing colonial historiography is the fact that even before the arrival of the Westerners, the Native Americans already had a civilization. They have intricate cultural practices and skills as evidenced by the limited artifacts exhibited in Spanish Missions such as Mission San Fernando. Worse, the lead perpetrator of the oppression of the native population in the Spanish missions, Father Junipero Serra, has been largely portrayed as a hero when in fact the opposite is true. According to Elias Castillo, as reported in the article The Lesser-told Story of the California Missions, Serra even oversaw the beating of the Indians and under his leadership, the Spaniards grossly discarded the right to self-determination and cultural integrity of the American Indians.

As for the enslaved Africans, the experience of suppression can also be seen is the social stratification of Mexico in the years prior and even after the war of independence. According to Poinsett (32), African-Americans along with those with Indian ancestry are those who occupied the lowest stratum in the Mexican society. Slavery persisted and even worsened after the American war of independence. During the 19^th century, African-Americans were denied of their basic democratic rights such as the right to own properties and to vote. While this era can no longer be considered as a colonial era since America was no longer under the control of a foreign power, white Americans serve as the colonizers of the enslaved Americans. African-Americans were persecuted because of petty crimes and some were even subjected to lynching for crimes where their guilt was not even established (Takaki 104).  

However, not all circumstances point to these marginalized people submitting to colonial rule. Some exhibited a certain degree of resistance. During the missionization of America, the Spaniards encountered significant resistance from the native population (Menchaca 137). Early conquerors such as Hernando Cortes even had to use enslaved Americans to neutralize the Indians (Restall 56). As for the enslaved Africans, pockets of rebellion were initiated in order to seek fair treatment from the colonizers (Menchaca 138). During the first half of the 20^th century, African-Americans demonstrated greater resistance against the neo-colonial rule of the whites. Black leaders such as David Walker, Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany aroused, organized and mobilized African-Americans and reform efforts were advanced (Takaki 109, 121 and 127).