California History Midterm

How might California’s “climate” best be described?

Mediterranean, Semiarid, Desert, and Alpine

What geographical realities slowed both Spanish and American settlement of CA?

the geographical isolation

How extensive was agriculture in California before the American period?

Almost nonexistent amongst the native Americans

To what extent were the food, population, and material culture of the Californian Indians determined by the natural resources of the region?  Did their cultures suit their environments? 

Their culture developed suited their environments. The only material culture they had was the classical hunting, gathering,  fishing, and basket weavings;

How important was hunting and gathering to California Natives? What was one similarity of all the tribes?

Was their main way of their life, one similarities is that most tribes in CA had acorns.

Why did the “Digger” legend persist in California?

It made it easier for others to justify taking Indians’ land and lives.

How large was the California Indian population at the time of first Spanish settlement? 

300,000+

What was the function or use of the temescal?  To California Natives, how important was religion?

Sweat House; Nature was Animism meaning inanimate objects possessed spirits and should be revered

Explain the motives which led the Spanish to explore and settle Alta California.

God, gold, Glory

What is the likely source of the name “California?

The El Dorado

Who found California?

Juan Cabrillo

Who was the first english man in California?

Francis Darke

Who were the three men in the Sacred Expedition?

Jose de Galvez, Junipero Serra, and Gaspar de Portola

Who was a Franciscan Missionary and founded the first 9 Mission in the Sacred Expedition?

Junipero Serra

Who led overland trips to CA from inland Mexico?

Juan Bautista de Anza

Who was the transitional CA mission system’s head?

Francisco Palou

What were the controversies and misconceptions surrounding Francis Drake’s landing in California

Spain didn’t want them to know how weak they were militaristically. A brass plate was found that was though to have belonged to Drake

How many Spanish missions were ultimately established in California? 

21

What were presidios and civil pueblos? 

Presidios were forts protecting settlers; Civil Pueblos were Civil “town” with farming orientation

Were San Diego, San Jose, Monterey, San Juan Capistrano, and San Gabriel established as missions, presidios, or pueblos?

MISSIONS BUT SAN JOSE WAS A PUEBLO

Describe the Spanish beginnings of San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Why was each settlement established, and what people were involved in the process?

LA was established as a pueblo and SF as a port & mission

What was an important result of the Yuma Massacre?

It closed the Anza’s trail for 40 years

Describe and evaluate the impact of the Spanish missions on the California Indians.

Many disease came a killed many Indians, the effects left on the Indians were irreparable. The conflict of destroying and helping effect the Spanish had on the Indians is exhaustive in both respects

What was the purpose of the Russian colony at Ft. Ross

It was Established to feed sea otter trappers

What ended Spanish control over Alta California? 

When Mexico became independent of Spanish rule

How important had the area been to Spanish colonial authorities?

Not that important

During which period were more “Spanish land grants” issued to individual Californios—the Spanish or Mexican period?

The Mexican Period

What was secularization of the Missions?  Who benefited & who lost by the process?  

An effort to become parishes and the Indian were to become landowner; Local politician and ranchero benefited the most while the Indians lost the most

How extensive was formal education among the Mexican population in CA up to 1846?

Almost non-existent

Who performed most of the labor on a typical California rancho?

Indians

What was the main business of the ranchos? 

Livestock

What was a California Bank Note?

Leather

Explain the major economic activities of early American settlers in California

Hide and Tallow merchant, mountain men, fur trapper

Who is the author of Two Years before the Mast?  What was the book’s subject?

Richard Henry Dana an aristocratic sailor about Alta California

Who designed Monterey style house, became U.S. Consul to Mexican California?

Thomas Larkin

Who created a Mill and found Gold on his property, wanted a mini fiefdom?

John Sutter

What factors encouraged American overland migration to California before 1846? 

Manifest destiny, finding a new home and trading opportunities

What role did Lansford Hasting play in travels to CA?

Misguided by Bad Maps

Describe the major overland pioneer groups which came to California during the 1841-1846 period.   

700 pioneers; wagon trains

How were these traveling “companies” organized, and what problems did they encounter as they crossed the continent?

Donner party got stuck in the snow

Why was the U. S. interested in acquiring California in the 1830s and ‘40s?  

Manifest Destiny

What did the Jones incident of 1842 clearly demonstrate?

That a foreign power could easily take California

What was the role of John C. Fremont in the conquest of California? 

A pathfinder who led the California battalion which also incorporated the bear flaggers

What was the outcome of the Polk-Larkin plan for the acquisition of California?

To stir up Americans in California to lead a Texas-style secession what happened in reality was not that

Describe Pres. Polk’s 1846 policies toward Mexico that brought war.

His policies were perceived correctly as threatening

Who was John Sloat?

Initial top naval commander

Who took over for John Sloat?

Robert Stockton

Who was an Army colonel then general who marched west to connect with sea forces?

Stephan Kearney

Which respected Mexican leader was captured by the Bear Flag Revolt?

Mariano Vallejo

Who was the Revolt Field Leader of the Bear Flag Revolt and stayed sober to declare California a republic?

William Ide

What was accomplished by the Bear Flag Revolt?

The declaration of California as a republic

What happened to John Fremont at the end of the war?

He was arrested and charged with disobedience but in the end President Polk remitted the penalty and he became rich and successful in politics

Describe the various land and sea routes the 49ers followed to the California gold fields.  Indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each. 

Around the Horn of South America, Across the Isthmus of Panama, and Overland. Around the Horn was long, The panama was risky as once you get across the land you don’t know when the next boat will be by, and the overland paths were just as long and cooperations was scarce

How did most gold seekers come to CA?

Overland Trail

Who was James Marshall?

Worked at Sutter’s Mill and found Gold

Who was Sam Brannan?

Publicized the Gold rush and made a great profit

What was the simplest method of placer mining during the gold rush?

Pan, Pick, and Shovel

What were the major characteristics of the California gold rush mining codes?  How were Mexicans and Asians treated in them?

Basic codes was self-government with over 500 camps. Mexicans and Asians were excluded!

How did mining affect other economic activities such as the lumber industry, stock raising or fishing? 

Lumber industry skyrocketed along with fishing to feed miners while livestock were important they often got hurt

How did occupational status affect family formation during the era?

Merchants became middle class and middle class was based on if you could afford a family

Evaluate the positive and negative effects of the gold rush on California history?

The negative results was the disorder and greed in California but the positive results was quick settlement by risk takers

How was California governed between the Cahuenga Capitulation in 1847 and admission to the Union as a state in 1850?  What was unusual about this?

Was in Military Rule as officers became mayors

How did the Constitution Convention of 1849 address slavery and free blacks?

No Slavery but were not liberal on equality

How did the Constitution Convention of 1849 address Boundaries?

San Diego Harbor some wanted Nevada but Congress already thought they were too big

How did the Constitution Convention of 1849 address Women’s Rights?

The first state to give married women the right to own property independent of men because this was already granted in Mexican law

Which caused the most trouble in the Constitution Convention of 1894?

Boundaries

Describe the state seal of California.

Minerva, miner, eureka, grizzly bear, San Francisco bay, and 31 stars

What was the “great compromise” of 1850 that included California’s admission to the Union?

California was accepted into the union as a FREE state

Who were California’s first U. S. senators?

William Gwinn and John C Fremont

Discuss plans to divide California?

Andres Pico proposed diving California to transform the south the line into Colorado; it was an anti-tax protest as people were being over-taxed, the plan however died in DC when people feared the creation of another slave state

What cities served as California’s capital?

Changed 7 times among 4 different cities in the first 5 years Monterey, San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia.

Describe the Broderick-Gwin feud?

Gwin was from Tennessee and had DC contacts and Broderick was corrupt and hardball political style of New York’s Tammany Hall and they had a duel that ended with Broderick dead

How did the Civil War affect California?

At first Californians weren’t needed because the cost for them to get over here was too much until Massachusetts paid for Californians to get over there. California provided 17,500+ troops, serving more per capita than any other state

What were the psychological, political, economic, and social factors which contributed to the emergence of vigilantism in early American California?

There was disorder on all sides,  and when attacks on foreigners became violent vigilantism came out

Who were the “hounds” of San Francisco?  How did Sam Brannan react to them?

The hounds of San Francisco were criminals who wanted to hound out or regulate foreigners. Sam Brannan reacted by making Law & Order a counter group to take down the Hounds

What social group provided leadership; who were some individual vigilante leaders and what were the accomplishments of each set?

Sam Brannan’s Committee of Vigilance responded to the perception of disorder and brought order while the Committee in Vigilance was responding to Broderick’s style of government and taxes

What, according to the textbook, was the major result of the vigilance movement?

That it brought better leaders next election

Did crime rates decrease dramatically?

Nothing was significantly different