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