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State of California Other names: «The Golden
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Motto: In Greek: Eureka Capital Sacramento Official language: English, Other languages: Spanish
This myth appears in a chivalric novel, Las
sergas de Esplandián, written by the Castilian adventure
writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Montalvo describes the
kingdom of Calafia or Califia as a remote land inhabited by
griffins and other strange beasts and rich in gold. California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas of pre-Columbian North America. Historians agree that at least 300,000 people lived in California before European colonization. California's Indigenous peoples included more than 70 distinct ethnic groups, inhabiting environments ranging from mountains and deserts to islands and redwood forests. Spanish Era The first Europeans to explore the
California coast were members of a Spanish maritime
expedition led by Spanish Captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in
1542. Cabrillo was commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza,
Viceroy of New Spain, to lead an expedition along the
Pacific coast in search of trading opportunities; they
entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and reached at
least as far as San Miguel Island. Mexican Rule In 1821, the insurgent struggle that granted the Mexican Empire (which included California) independence from Spain ended. For the next 25 years, Alta California remained a remote and sparsely populated administrative district in the northwest of the newly independent country, which shortly afterward became a republic. The missions, which controlled most of the state's best lands, were secularized in 1834 and became property of the Mexican government. The governor granted many square leagues of land to other politically influential individuals. These enormous ranchos, or cattle ranches, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. The ranchos developed under the ownership of Californios (the name then used for the native Mexicans of the area), who traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants. Beef did not become a staple product until the California Gold Rush of 1849. Deterioration of Government in California Under Mexican Rule The initial government of the newly independent Mexico was highly unstable, and as a reflection of this, California also experienced a series of armed disputes, both internally and with the Mexican central government, beginning in 1831. During this tumultuous political period, Juan Bautista Alvarado managed to seize the governorship between 1836 and 1842. The military action that brought Alvarado to power had temporarily declared California an independent state, and he had enlisted the help of Anglo-American residents of California, including Isaac Graham. In 1840, one hundred of these residents who did not have passports were arrested, leading to the Graham Affair, which was partially resolved through the intercession of Royal Navy officers.
American Conquest of California
The rebels subsequently raised the Bear
Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe, and the words
"California Republic") in Sonoma. The Republic's only
president was William Ide, who played a pivotal role during
the Bear Flag Revolt. This revolt by American settlers
served as a prelude to the subsequent U.S. military invasion
of California and was closely coordinated with nearby U.S.
military commanders.
On October 8, the invasion counterattack took place, but was defeated by Captain José Antonio Carrillo at the Battle of Rancho Domínguez. Resistance in Los Angeles and the surrounding towns continued until the defeat at the hands of General Stephen Kearny on January 9, 1847. Other notable military engagements of the conquest include the Battle of San Pascual in Southern California, as well as the Battle of Olómpali and the Battle of Santa Clara in Northern California.
Following a series of defensive battles in the South, the Californios signed the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847, securing the censure and establishing de facto American control in California. Period of Evil and Slavery The California Genocide was a series of systematic murders of thousands of California Native people by U.S. government agents and private citizens in the 19th century. It began following the U.S. conquest of California from Mexico and the influx of settlers due to the California Gold Rush, which accelerated the decline of California's Native population.
California's Native population declined from approximately 150,000 in 1848 to 30,000 in 1870 and 16,000 in 1900. The decline was caused by disease, starvation, and massacres. The state of California used its institutions to favor the rights of white settlers over those of Native people, dispossessing Native people of their lands. Acts of slavery, kidnapping, rape, child separation, and forced displacement were widespread. These acts were encouraged, tolerated, and carried out by state authorities and militias. Since the 20th Century In the 20th century, thousands of Japanese emigrated to the United States and California to try to buy and own land in the state. However, in 1913, the state passed the Alien Land Act, which excluded Asian immigrants from land ownership. During World War II, Japanese Americans in California were interned in concentration camps such as Tule Lake and Manzanar. In 2020, California officially apologized for this internment. Accelerated Migration Migration to California accelerated in the early 20th century with the completion of major transcontinental highways such as the Lincoln Highway and Route 66. Between 1900 and 1965, the population grew from less than one million to the largest in the Union. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported that California's population was 6.0% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 89.5% non-Hispanic White. Disasters
During the 20th century, two major disasters occurred in California. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1928 San Francisco Dam flood remain the deadliest in U.S. history. Geography California is the third-largest state in the United States by area, after Alaska and Texas. California is often divided geographically into two regions: Southern California, comprising the 10 southernmost counties, and Northern California, comprising the 48 northernmost counties. Ecology
California's large number of endemic species includes relict species, extinct elsewhere, such as the Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). Many other endemic species originated through differentiation or adaptive radiation, whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions, such as the California lilac (Ceanothus). Many California endemics have become endangered species, as urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction of exotic species have encroached on their habitat.
California tourism
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The
word California derives from the name of a fictional
paradise, the island of California, inhabited by Black
Amazons under the command of Queen Calafia. .png)
In 1846, a group of American settlers from Sonoma and the
surrounding area rebelled against Mexican rule during the
Bear Flag Revolt.
