California History 2

8/9/2019 California History 2

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Four square leagues of land The plaza had a council house, church, and jail. The life of the community revolved

around these central squares

Each se>ler had a house lot, livestock, an allowance for clothing and supplies andcommon pasture. All surplus went to the presidios and he always had to be ready

for military service. Alcalde was the mayor, regidores were councilmen, and the governing body was

the ayuntamiento. High crimes were brought before the governor in Monterey.

The alcalde was like the father of the town.

San Jose was originally a few mud huts on the Guadalupe river. Los Angeles wasfounded on September 4, 1781 by 11 couples and 22 children.

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Neve set up the civic pueblos. He was a military commander and governor. TheYuma massacre occurred during his governorship.

Fages was an indian fighter and explorer who led expediQons to San Francisco.Frequent conflicts between he and the missionaries.

Borica proposed to link the missions in a chain to reduce the number of guardsneeded. He made it possible for one to travel over a distance of 500 miles and stayat a mission each night.

Arrillaga served a second term as governor and had a good relaQonship with themissionaries. During his Qme in office the viceroy lost interest in the missions and

they and the presidios and civil building fell into a deplorable state.

Sola was of Spanish birth and looked upon the colonials as incompetent. He wasangered by the smuggling that occurred between Californians and foreigners.

Many American ships came to harbor in California. Spains empire was soon about

to crumble.

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Perouse led a French scienQfic expediQon that landed in Monterey bay that lastedfor 10 days. They le\ in 1825 but shipwrecked. Perouse sent his journals ahead to

France.

Malaspina was an Italian from Spain. He gave an account of his expediQon andbrought the first American body ashore.

Vancouver, an Englishman, received orders to invesQgate the Spanish holdings inCalifornia and seize any unclaimed land in 1792. He arrived in the bay of San

Francisco and visited a few of the missions. He came back a second Qme to a cool

recepQon because Arrillaga did not like foreign encroachments.

The O>er was the first US vessel to visit Spanish California. On board were 11convicts who were secretly dropped off on Carmel beach and reluctantly put to

work by governor Borica.

The fur trade brought many visitors to CA. The Spanish tried to resist the Yankeeships interested in trade, they did not have the resources to enforce their policies.

New England wares or East Asian goods were traded for o>er furs, which were sold

in America or China. The trade could very profitable but it was also dangerous ifthe ships were caught. The forbidding Alaskan landscape brought the Russians

farther south into California. In 1805, Nikolai Rezanov was sent to scout out

California and fell in love with a Spanish woman. He sailed back to Russia but died

along the way. Ivan Kuskov was also sent from Russia to scout out a locaQon for

trade. He chose a site north of Bodega bay which took on the name Fort Ross.

Arrillaga was took weak to do anything about the fort.

No one at this Qme had really ventured into the interior of CA.4


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Fages had allowed land grants of up to three square leauges (a square league is4,438 acres). During the Spanish period no more than 30 of these were handed

out. By the Mexican period the number increased to more than fi\y. The size also

increased to up to 11 square leagues, or nearly 50,000 acres. Any Mexican of good

character or a foreigner who willed to become a Mexican ciQzen and adopt the

Catholic faith could receive a land grant. The rancho era occurred a\er the missions were secularized. Rancho boundaries

were very ill defined. Family fortunes depended on these ranchos. Francisco

Pacheco owned property totaling over 125,000 acres with 14,000 ca>le, 500

horses, and 15,000 sheep. Americans like Abel Stearns (thousands of acres) and

John Su>er (over 60 miles in length) had huge property holdings.

Ca>le hides were the cornerstone of the California economy. They were theCalifornia bank note. Some ranches employed 100 naQve employees. Many

horses or ca>le ran wild. The rodeo was the roundup of the livestock for branding

and a judge would se>le disputes over individual animals. Hides were sold, meat

was dried, and tallow was used for candles.

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Governors were appointed by Mexico, but control from Mexico was weak becausethey lacked soldiers to enforce laws.

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Real authority began to move into the hands of the Californios, a small band ofranch owning families. Most of them had been born in CA and many families were

intermarried and thus armed conflicts among Californios were always very risky.

They desired to take over the wealth of the missions and their supply of Indian

labor. The desire for power led to conflicts between those in the north and the

south. Leaders such as Juan Alvarado, Mariano Vallejo, and Jose Castro wereagainst Jose Carrillo, Pio Pico, and Juan Bandini. Governors had a hard Qme deals

with these secQonal conflicts.

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Since California was separated from Mexico it encouraged secQonalism.Nevertheless, the last Spanish governor Sola replaced the Spanish flag at Monterey

with the Mexican one.

This process was called secularizaQon, or the transformaQon of the missions intoordinary parish churches. The process also included the emancipaQon of the

Indians by the friars. This brought about the rise of the ranchos. Californios prospered greatly from secularizaQon by taking over mission lands and

assets. The rancho owners were like lords over their land. Many of the Indians

became menial laborers on the ranchos.

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Conflict between those who wore spurs, the Spanish, and those who had beenborn in the Spanish American colonies.

Estanislao was the leader of a panIndian rebellion in 1829 in the San JoaquinValley. They were not afraid of the soldiers who they considered as just boys.

They fought many ba>les with Mexican forces and blocked Mexican se>lement of

the San Joaquin Valley.

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A\er 1808 the number of ships bringing supplies decreased significantly. Theywere blocked by revoluQonary a>acks against Spain and privateers roaming the

seas. The Californians had complaints against the viceroy in Mexico City but never

thought of rebelling.

These two ships were led by a Frenchman de Bouchard and an Englishman PeterCorney. The men were a motley crew made up of cu>hroats from Europe,Southeast Asia, and Australia. Their goal was to profit from the disintegraQon of

the Spanish empire. The Santa Rosa a>acked the presidio of Monterey and was

surprised to meet resistance from governor Sola. But the pirates landed on the

shore and the Californians were forced to retreat. The invaders sacked the presidio

and town. A\er spending a week pillaging and repairing their ships, and failing to

convince any Californians to join their libertarian cause, they set sail down the

coast, a>acking other ciQes. This was Californias only contact with

revoluQonaries. California remained calm unQl AgusQn Iturbide made New Spain

independent and renamed it Mexico.

The iniQal news of Californian independence reached CA with disbelief. Sola wassent as the California representaQve to the Mexican congress. But before he could

leave a boat arrived from Mexico City carrying the new Mexican appointed

governor. The state received independence from Spain without any shedding of

blood. Arguello came from norther CA and was chosen over a man from southern

CA. Missions came under Qghter scruQny and their power was ending. Foreigners

were welcomed. Some of the traders became local residents. A generaQon of

foreigners established close relaQons with the Californios before any people came

over the great plains. Some indian rebellions under his governorship when they

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He was an American fur trapper who had come west from St. Louis to Utah andinto CA. He was the first white man to reach CA overland from the eastern US. In

1826 they reached mission San Gabriel. He le\ his men behind and he went to San

Diego to ask permission to trap in CA. Echeandia was suspicious and put Smith in

prison unQl he could receive word from Mexico. Smith wrote a le>er to the US

minister in Mexico city and released on the condiQon that he never return to CA.Smith and his men moved north, trapping along the way, unQl they reached the

Salt Lake area. He was the first white party to cross over the sierra. But in 1827 he

returned to CA and many of his men were killed in an a>ack by Indians. He

eventually reached Mission San Jose. This Qme the padre at the mission put him

under arrest and again he had to meet with the governor. And again he was

released, promising never to return.

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Expelled from governor a\er only three months in office. He is an example of thefact that Mexican governors were not really welcome in CA. Local no longer called

themselves Mexicanos but Californios.

He was named the next governor. He o\en fought with Castro, his millitarycommander from Monterey.

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During the Qme of poliQcal turmoil more Americans arrived overland to CA. JamesPae set out on a trapping trip with his family. Indians stole their pack animals.

The went west to Santa Fe to trap along the Gila and Colorado rivers. They went to

San Diego and met Echeandia who threw them in jail. The younger Pae

convinced the governor that he had a vaccine to small pox.

A Mormon who arrived by the sea instead of overland. They started from Illinois and they followed the advice of a decepQve guidebook.

In 1846 the party plunged into unknown wilderness and got lost in the mountains.

It took them a month instead of a week to reach Great Salt lake. It became

apparent their supplies would run out before reading CA. They sent two men

ahead to try to reach Su>ers fort. A fight broke out among the group caused

them to banish one of their most needed members. Winter started while they

were in the Sierras. One member of the group made it to Su>ers Forts. Winter

storms came a month early. They had to wait four months unQl spring. The snow

got up to twentytwo feet. Out of the original 79 people only 49 survived. They

became local heroes and symbols of hardy western pioneers.

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Le\ in 1845 on his third exploring expediQon and reached Su>ers fort. He built alog foriQficaQon and raised the american flag. Fremonts acQon embarassed those

who hoped that CA would pass over to the US quietly. RetreaQng to Oregon,

Fremont and his men were met by Gillespie, a US marine corps officer in disguise.

He had secret messages from Washington officials that war with Mexico was

imminent. Fremont kidnapped General Vallejo and took him to Su>ers fort andcapture Sonoma. They created a flag with a grizzly bear on it and pronounced CA

as a republic. The movement ended when the American flag was raised in

Monterey in 1846.

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Sloat landed 250 marines and seamen at Monterey and the American flag wasflying at Su>ers fort, Bodega Bay, and at Sonoma. Stockton relaced Sloat and

organized Fremonts forces into a ba>alion. Stocktons forces entered Los Angeles

in 1846 and he le\ Gillespie in charge with 50 men. The people of LA rebelled

against his curfew and he had to send for reinforcements from Stockton. Gillespie

had to retreat and Stockton was beaten off by an Old Womans Gun. At SanDiego, Stockton planned how to retake LA

Kearny was proceeding overland from Kansas to set up a government in CA. Hereceived a report that the flag was already being flown and did not know of the

new rebellion. Kearny met with 150 Californios near present day Escondido, led by

Andres Pico. He had to be rescued by reinforcements from Stockton. This was

known as the ba>le of San Pascual. Kearny joined his forces with Stocktons to

retake LA. Gillespis reflew the American flag by Andres Pico, brother of the last

Mexican governor Pio Pico, surrendered to Fremont. Fremont granted pardon to

the Californios in what became known as the Cahuenga CapitulaQon. A fight broke

out between Kearny and Stockton as to who was really in charge. Kearny preparedcourt marshall charges against Fremont. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo ended

the Mexican War in 1848.

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He conducted government affairs from San Diego rather than Monterey. Thishelped fuel the rivalry between the two halves of the state. He faced problems

with unpaid soldiers and their families. A local revolt was led against him at

Monterey. He regime was hurt by Mexicos sending over convicts and Chief

Estanislaos rebellion. In 1831 Echeandia began secularizing some of the missions.

One problem was that the missions were sQll supplying the presidios. Cashrevenues from duQes levied on the trade of hides and tallows, chiefly produced at

the missions, was sQll large porQon of the governments budget.

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Californians became upset by Mexican neglect and mediocre governors. Aprevious Mexican regime had appointed Jose Maria Padres as governor. He

strongly disliked the missions. But before he could take power, the government in

Mexico changed. Colonel Manuel Victoria was sent as governor and he disliked the

Californios. He used the death penalty and he said Monterey would be safe for

anyone to leave their valuables out in the open. He was o\en stern and unfair andopposiQon to him increased. 50 rebels took control of the presidio at San Diego

and marched on LA. Victoria marched south to put down the rebellion. Victoria

was surprised by some of his own soldiers taking part in the rebellion and a

daredevil, Avila, who rushed with a lance and shot one of his assistants. Victoria

was forced out of office. The governorship switched hands between Echeandia,

Zamorano, and Pio Pico.

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This ended with the appointment of Figueroa. He was an amiable and thoughulperson. He granted amnesty to everyone who had parQcipated in the rebellion.

Figeuroa oversaw the secularizaQon of the missions due to a proclamaQon from

the Mexican government. He ordered that half of the mission lands and ca>le go

to the neophytes. Figueroa died in 1835 as one of Californias best Mexican

governors.

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The civil and military rule fell to Nicolas GuQerrez. Californios wanted to beindependent of Mexico and saw how weak it was a\er the foreign visitaQons. In

1836 Alvarado decided to seize the governorship. He was allied with Jose Castro

and Isaac Graham, the la>er had been promised land and other favors. Graham

headed up a band of 50 riflemen and Alvarod and Castro had 100 men. They took

control of Monterey without bloodshed. Alvarado was named governor. Heappointed Mariano Vallejo, his uncle, as the military commander of the Californias.

But then fights arose between southerners from San Diego who wanted some

things moved south. Alvarado tried to send an olive branch by allowing them to

have a subgovernor with local authority. Mexico was busy at this Qme with the

Texas war for independence. Alvarado appointed Hartnell to oversee the

disbanding of the missions. Hartnell faced opposiQon from local authoriQes and

became disillusioned with the anarchic state of affairs in CA. Alvarado sQll faced

dissidents from the south, many of whom he arrested in 1840.

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Next governor from Mexico. He arrived with 300 exconvicts and bullies in SanDiego. He had to deal with the tense issue of Thomas Ap Catesby Jones. Jones

mistakenly thought that war had been declared with Mexico. He landed in

Monterey with his marines and raised the American flag. In 1844 Micheltorena

faced another revolt from Alvarado and Castro. Foreign se>lers like Abel Stearns,

Isaac Graham, and Johann Su>er sided against the Mexican governor. The twoforces met at the Cahuenga Pass, outside Los Angeles, and had a two day arQllery

duel. Micheltorena was deported from CA and it was now under local control.

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He obtained from Alvarado a 50,00 acre tract near the juncQon of the Sacramentoand American rivers. He created an outpost named New HelveQa. He was a

trapper, trader, stock raise, and feudal ruler. He was the only foreigner to se>le

inland.

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California History 2

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Transcript of California History 2