California History: From Indigenous Tribes to Modern Issues

Hiram Johnson

Early 20th-century California governor associated with progressive reforms.

The Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the South to the North and West during and after World War I.

Cold War Aerospace Industry

The rapid expansion of aerospace and defense industries in California due to federal military contracts during the Cold War.

Ronald Reagan (Governor)

Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, and later the 40th President of the United States.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)

A federal law that aimed to address illegal immigration by providing a pathway to legal status for certain undocumented immigrants while increasing border enforcement.

The Criminal Syndicalism Law (1919)

A law passed by the California legislature in 1919 that criminalized the advocacy of violence or unlawful methods for political or industrial change.

Native Californian Tribes

Key tribes such as the Chumash, Ohlone, Miwok, Yokuts, and others.

Hunter-Gatherer Societies

Refers to the traditional lifestyle of many Native Californian tribes.

Environmental Adaptation

How indigenous people adapted to California's diverse landscapes.

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Explorer credited with the first European expedition to the California coast (1542).

Sebastián Vizcaíno

Explorer who mapped much of the California coast (1602).

Mission System

Refers to the establishment of missions by the Spanish, aimed at converting Native Americans to Christianity.

Junípero Serra

Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the first nine California missions.

Presidios

Military forts established by the Spanish to protect missions and settlements.

Pueblos

Civilian towns established to promote settlement, like Los Angeles and San José.

Californios

Term used to describe the Mexican citizens living in California.

Sutter's Mill

The location where gold was first discovered in 1848, igniting the Gold Rush.

Levi Strauss

Businessman who supplied miners and created durable denim jeans.

Central Pacific Railroad

One of the railroads that constructed the western portion of the transcontinental railroad.

Conservation Movement

Efforts to preserve California's natural resources during the early 20th century.

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II.

Housing Crisis

The ongoing challenge in California related to housing affordability, availability, and homelessness, especially in urban areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Cultural Diversity

Reflecting the linguistic and cultural variety among Native Californian groups.

Rancho System

Large land grants given to settlers (rancheros) for cattle ranching.

Secularization

The process of transferring mission lands from church to private ownership during the Mexican period.

Mexican Independence (1821)

The year Mexico gained independence from Spain, affecting California's governance.

Hides and Tallow Trade

California's major export economy, trading cattle hides and tallow (fat) with foreign merchants.

Richard Henry Dana

Author of Two Years Before the Mast, offering an early depiction of California's trade.

Bear Flag Revolt

The 1846 rebellion by American settlers that briefly established the California Republic.

Forty-Niners

The influx of miners and settlers who came to California during the Gold Rush in 1849.

Foreign Miners' Tax

A tax imposed on non-American miners during the Gold Rush to reduce competition.

Compromise of 1850

The agreement that allowed California to enter the Union as a free state.

Constitution of 1849

The first state constitution of California, written before statehood.

Proposition 13

A 1978 constitutional amendment that limited property taxes in California.

Free Soil Party

A political party that opposed the expansion of slavery and had influence in California's early statehood.

Pacific Railroad Act (1862)

Legislation that promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

Transcontinental Railroad

The railroad connecting the eastern United States to California, completed in 1869.

Leland Stanford

Governor of California and key figure in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Big Four

The group of businessmen who financed the Central Pacific Railroad (Stanford, Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker).

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

The federal law that banned Chinese immigration to the U.S. for ten years.

****** Labor

A term used to describe contract laborers from Asia, often under exploitative conditions.

Workingmen's Party of California

A political party formed in the 1870s that opposed Chinese labor.

Denis Kearney

Leader of the Workingmen's Party, known for his anti-Chinese sentiment.

California's Wheat Boom

A period of agricultural prosperity tied to large-scale wheat farming in the late 19th century.

Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

Progressive reforms in California that expanded direct democracy.

Prohibition Movement

The campaign to ban alcohol in California, reflecting broader national trends.

Women's Suffrage in California

The successful campaign that granted women the right to vote in 1911.

World War I's Impact on California

The economic and social changes in California brought by its participation in World War I (1914-1918).

Prohibition

The nationwide ban on the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol (1919-1933) as part of the 18th Amendment.

The Great Depression in California

The severe economic downturn during the 1930s that affected California's agriculture, industry, and labor force.

Dust Bowl Migration

The migration of thousands of people, primarily from Oklahoma and other Great Plains states, to California during the 1930s.

The New Deal in California

A series of federal programs and reforms introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat the effects of the Great Depression.

Upton Sinclair

A socialist and author who ran for governor of California in 1934 under the 'End Poverty in California' (EPIC) platform, which proposed radical reforms to address poverty.

World War II's Impact on California

The economic and social changes in California due to its role in World War II (1939-1945).

Japanese American Internment

The forced relocation and imprisonment of over 110,000 Japanese Americans, many of whom were California residents, during World War II.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of violent clashes in Los Angeles in 1943 between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youths wearing zoot suits.

Bracero Program

A labor agreement between the U.S. and Mexico (1942-1964) that allowed Mexican laborers to work temporarily in U.S. agriculture and other industries.

Aerospace Industry Growth

The rapid expansion of California's aerospace and defense industries during and after World War II, fueled by military contracts.

Executive Order 9066

The order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, which authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

California Master Plan for Higher Education (1960)

A policy framework that reorganized California's public higher education system into a three-tiered structure: University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and community colleges.

Red Scare in California

The period of heightened anti-communist suspicion and fear during the Cold War, including investigations of alleged communist activities in California.

César Chávez

A labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union.

United Farm Workers (UFW)

A labor union formed in the 1960s by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta to represent farmworkers, primarily in California.

Free Speech Movement (1964)

A student protest movement that began at the University of California, Berkeley, advocating for the right to free speech and academic freedom on campus.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

A law enacted in 1970 requiring state and local agencies to assess the environmental impact of proposed projects.

Sierra Club

A grassroots environmental organization founded by John Muir, with significant influence in California's environmental protection efforts.

Energy Crisis (1970s)

A period in the 1970s characterized by fuel shortages and rising energy costs, partly due to global oil supply disruptions.

Proposition 13 (1978)

A ballot initiative that drastically reduced property taxes in California by capping property tax rates and limiting annual increases in assessed values.

Harvey Milk

The first openly gay elected official in California, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors before his assassination in 1978.

Tech Boom

The rapid growth of the technology industry in California, particularly in Silicon Valley, from the late 20th century into the 21st century.

Climate Change Policy

California's proactive stance on addressing climate change through policies such as the Global Warming Solutions Act (2006), which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Recall Elections

A political process that allows voters to remove elected officials from office before their term ends; California has one of the most prominent recall systems in the U.S.

John M. Eshleman

John M. Eshleman was a prominent figure in the California progressive movement and served as a railroad commissioner.

Cross-Filing System

The cross-filing system, introduced in California in 1913, allowed political candidates to run for the nomination of multiple parties in the primary elections.

Katherine Philips Edson

Katherine Philips Edson was a leader in the women's suffrage movement in California and an advocate for labor reforms.

Workers' Compensation Law (1911)

This was a major labor reform enacted by the California progressives, which established employer liability for workplace accidents.

The California Equal Suffrage League

The California Equal Suffrage League was an organization formed during the progressive era to advocate for women's voting rights in the state.

Preparedness Day Bombing (1916)

A bombing that occurred during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco on July 22, 1916, killing 10 people and injuring 40.

Thomas Mooney

A labor activist who was wrongfully convicted for the 1916 Preparedness Day Bombing in San Francisco.

Charlotte Anita Whitney

A philanthropist, social worker, suffragist, and member of the Communist Labor Party.

The Mooney Case

The legal case surrounding labor activist Thomas Mooney, who was wrongfully convicted for the Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

A radical labor union that advocated for workers' rights through direct action, strikes, and industrial sabotage.

Open Shop Movement

A movement led by business owners in the 1920s to eliminate closed shops, where union membership was a requirement for employment.

The Better America Federation

A conservative, pro-business organization formed in 1920 in Los Angeles to lobby against organized labor and progressive reforms.

Federal Plan for Reapportionment (1926)

A system adopted in 1926 to reapportion the California state senate, limiting each county to no more than one senator regardless of population size. This plan disproportionately favored rural, conservative areas and helped consolidate conservative power in the state government.

Edward L. Doheny

Edward L. Doheny was a prominent oil tycoon who made a major oil discovery in Los Angeles in 1892. His success helped spark the California oil boom, and he became a key figure in the oil industry.

Union Oil Company

Union Oil was one of the early and major players in California's oil industry, founded in 1890 by Thomas Bard and partners. The company played a pivotal role in the state's oil boom and made several significant discoveries that established California as a major oil-producing state.

Oil Boom of the 1920s

This period marked the rapid expansion of California's oil industry, particularly in the Los Angeles Basin, with major discoveries at Huntington Beach, Santa Fe Springs, and Signal Hill. By the 1920s, California was the leading oil-producing state in the U.S., and oil became a dominant industry, surpassing even the value of all the gold mined in the state.

Gusher Charlie (1910)

"Gusher Charlie" refers to the legendary driller Charles Woods who brought in one of the world's greatest oil gushers in Kern County, California, in 1910.

Southern Pacific Railroad and Oil

The Southern Pacific Railroad became a significant player in the California oil industry by acquiring control of the Associated Oil Company in 1909.

The Automobile Revolution

The rise of the automobile in the early 20th century transformed California, particularly Southern California, where it became a driving force behind economic and social changes.

The Birth of Hollywood

In the early 20th century, California became the center of the burgeoning motion picture industry. Filmmakers like William Selig and D.W. Griffith began shooting films in Southern California due to its favorable climate and varied landscapes.

The Star System

The star system emerged in Hollywood during the early 20th century when film studios began promoting specific actors and actresses as stars to attract audiences.

John Muir

A Scottish-born naturalist, writer, and conservationist who became one of the most influential advocates for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.

Sierra Club (1892)

An environmental organization founded by John Muir to promote conservation and the protection of natural landscapes in California and beyond.

Hetch Hetchy Controversy

A major environmental conflict in the early 20th century over the proposal to build a dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley within Yosemite National Park to provide water to San Francisco.

Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct

A large aqueduct system constructed between 1908 and 1913 to divert water from Owens Valley to supply the growing city of Los Angeles.

William Mulholland

The chief engineer behind the construction of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct, which brought water from distant sources to Los Angeles.

Colorado River Aqueduct

A massive aqueduct constructed in the 1930s to transport water from the Colorado River to Southern California, supplying water to Los Angeles and other coastal cities.

Boulder Canyon Project (Hoover Dam)

A federal project to dam the Colorado River, creating Hoover Dam, which provided water storage, flood control, and hydroelectric power to Southern California and other southwestern states.