Download - California history
California: A HistoryBrittney Weber
I V:STR IK ING IT R ICH
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed on February 2,
1848 Mexico signed to cede all
the territory above the Rio Grande Received $15 million
dollars cash $3.25 million of claims
from Mexican citizens against the United States
California became United States territory from this treaty
Territory United States claimed from the Treaty
Alcalde Mexican law of governance
Affected the United States after no comprise could be made for slavery
Did not require a separation of powers so the military was basically the entire judge, jury, and deciding factor in government rather than branches in the United States government
The mixed government practices helped create a bond that may have related to the early intermarriages between Americans and Mexicans living in California
Gold The discovery in 1848
would have the most influence on California in history
Workers were quitting their jobs and purchasing equipment for gold mining and hitting the riverbeds
Gold rush By spring of 1848, the first
wave was well underway San Francisco sprung from
this period Within a year of finding
gold, the population outstretched numbers for a territory
Along with the rapid population increase, it is also intriguing of the courage it took for men to travel to such great lengths in hopes of getting lucky and finding gold 1 in 9 men died on the
journey to reach California
V: REGULATION, RAILROAD, AND REVOLUTION
Confusion During the 5 year period under
Mexican government, it was a disorganized mess
Land grants were given out but not properly treated as so
This created multiple grantees to one piece of land
Riots broke out because of the disorder which resulted in several deaths of sheriffs and trespassers
Dividing California The issue of slavery brought
up many conflicts between the northern states and the southern states with California
Southern states believed they deserved the state as slavery because of its geography
The north argued that it was northern territory
Starr presents the state as truly 2 parts and even 4: the Bay Area and the Mining Regions; the Far North and the Central Valley
ix. Making it Happen Labor Unions
1859: first labor unions developed in San Francisco
Trade Union Council: represented 15 labor organizations and as many as 3,000 workers
These helped keep workers together but created chaos and anger when times were tough and unemployment was high
Great Depression in Cali It came later than most
states Due to the economy
being diversified and not dependent on one source Agricultural, industrial,
entertainment
Such as the Midwest that was so dependent on agriculture, California was able to hold it’s own because it had many sources of income to rely on
Great Depression Agricultural workers were
flocking to California 300,000
Mostly white Americans from the dust bowl
Wages were dropped by 50% Between the months of April
and June of 1937, Mexican workers were getting as less as 15 cents per cantaloupe in the Imperial Valley
Strikes were going on due to unemployment