California History

Why was California home to the largest majority of Native Americans?

because there are a lot of natural resources here.

What was the primary food source of California Indians?

acorns, they would turn them into flour to make breads

What is a notable skill the Native Americans developed?

basket weaving

Where did the Native Americans live in California?

along the base of the Sierra Nevadas

What was the purpose of the Spanish missions?

-The Spanish wanted to spread Christianity to the Natives, and also wanted to exploit them as free labor for agriculture to help the Spanish economy.

-Essentially slave labor

Was the mission system effective?

-Did not satisfy their goals, most Natives did not want to convert to Christianity and it wasnt doing much economically either

When were the missions abolished and what happened to them?

-Once Mexicans won independence from Spain, Mexico abolished the Mission system

-Land of missions were transferred to private landowners: The “Ranchero Class”

-Land was called “Rancheros” and they farmed, had horses, etc.

Presidios

forts/jails to maintain social order

When did California become a province?

California became a province in 1822, after Mexico won its independence from Spain. 

What was a notable governor that Mexico sent to California who “ruled with a strong hand”?

Manuel Victoria

Why did Californians resent Mexican rule? What did they do about it?

The Californios resented Mexican rule because they felt a separate identity as Californios and felt that Mexico was too far removed and exerted too much influence over them

-So governors were sent to oversee California because they were so far away

-Many Californians, such as the group led by Pio Pico, rebelled against having their affairs dictated by “outsiders” (aka Mexicans).

What was the reason for the Mexican-American war? What year did it start?

In 1846, the U.S. declared war on Mexico because of border disputes, particularly the region along the Rio Grande.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

after the U.S. won the Mexican-American war, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo gave California, and other regions surrounding (Nevada, Arizona, Utah, etc) to the U.S. for $15 million dollars.

The Gold Rush

-At Sutter’s Mill, gold was discovered, which led to more gold discovery and a giant influx of people from all over the country and world to strike gold.

-Between 1847 and 1860, California’s population grew from 15,000 to 380,000, leading to California’s acceptance into statehood.

What did slavery being banned in California result in?

an in balance in free and slave states, upsetting southerners

How is the California Constitution similar to the U.S. Constitution?

almost exactly the same, same three branches (executive, legislative and judicial)

The only difference is…

only difference is the kind of veto power the governor has, called Line Item Veto which allows him to strike out the parts of the bill that he doesn't want, and then sign the rest into law, this is a stronger veto power

What were the Progressive reforms in California aimed at giving more governmental power to the citizens of CA

-Initiative: citizens of California can get signatures on a petition and have a law brought up to a vote

-Referendum: citizens of California can also challenge a law and have it brought up for a vote to be removed.

-Recall: can remove an elected official, famously there was a recall of Governor Gray Davis

What were 4 important waves of immigration into California?

1. The Gold Rush

2. California land boom of the 1880s

3. The Great Depression

4. 1965 Reforms to U.S. Immigration Laws

California land boom of the 1880s

The Homestead system tried to attract people to California to start agricultural businesses, offered free/low cost land if they would establish a business on the land

The Great Depression

There was a dust bowl in a lot of the places that usually grew crops (Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas) so they came to California to try to find farming jobs there. There weren't that many jobs though and these people often suffered exploitation and abuse. 

1929-1941

1965 reforms to U.S. immigration laws

Repealed Nativist laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act, so people were coming to U.S. and particularly to California because of the opportunity here

Mining in California

Initially gold mining but there are other ores and building materials

Agriculture in California

biggest agricultural producer in the US, mostly done in the Central Valley, products are also shipped oversea

Entertainment in California

in Los Angeles because of the good climate to maximize filming days, also a variety of terrain to make all different kinds of movies like western films

Recreation/Tourism in California

theme parks, national parks, state parks, also tourist cities like LA, SD, SF

Aerospace in California

high in the 50s and 60s, located in Orange County (Boeing, Lockheed, etc), but with defense spending cutbacks in the 70s, it suffered

Electronics in California

In Silicon Valley, Silicon microchips are produced, and other tech products

International Trade in California

Busiest trade route is out of the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Asia, busiest trade route in the world

California’s water delivery system

-Southern California is essentially a desert and needs water from an outside source, a complex system of canals and reservoirs were built to supply California’s water needs.

-Most importantly, the California Aqueduct was built to supply the populous desert regions in the south with water from the north.