1. Early California History

2. Pre-European California
400,000 Native Americans
small bands, linguistically diverse
mostly peaceful
technologically and politically primitive
no metal or pottery, but sophisticated basketry--acorns, fish, game--virtually no agriculture--hunting and gathering

4. Europeans Arrive--1500s Cabrillo and Drake explore the coast
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (pictured in statue at San Diego)
The first European to explore the coast of the present day State of California was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a navigator sailing for the who had been in the army of cortes during the conquest of Mexico. In June 1542, Cabrillo led an expedition in two ships from the west coast of new spain. He sailed northward and landed at san Diego Bay , claiming the island of CA for Spain.
After Cabrillo's voyage in the concept of Alta and Baja CA started to emerge. He got as far as theRussian River, after he died from an injury, his men went up further to Oregon.
1579 Sir Francis Drake landed somewhere above Spain's claim to CA . Drake's claim marked the first of six national flags to fly over California: that of England, Russia, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of California, and the United States. (A seventh, that of the Confederacy, flew briefly and unofficially in the state capital during the .) He landed somewhere around the Bay Area, and met with natives, and resupplied

5. Spanish settlement of Alta California--1770-1821
Junipero Serra and Spanish found 21 missions and 4 presidios to strengthen Spain’s claim--especially against Russia.
Establish a Spanish “nobility” based on land grant ranchos
Missions every thirty miles from San Diego to Sonoma. SF presidio foundeed in one of four military districts. Some large portion of Indian population was converted and subjected to Mission life. Russia beginning to expand from Alaska around end of 18th c.
These Spanish missions probably exterminated more natives than they converted. Though some tribes may have traded with the missions, most were rounded up, forced from their language and culture, and made slaves. Cruel treatment and European diseases ravaged them, and their numbers dwindled. Though Los Angeles County now boasts more native Americans than any other county (200,000), most are recent transplants; by 1914 the native population of Los Angeles had fallen to 17,000.
Leading families--Vallejos, Peraltas, Sepulvedas, etc.
Missions introduced non-native fruits whaich became central to CA economy in late 18th century--oranges, grapes, apple, peach, etc--only berries were native

6. Mexican Period
Mexican-American War breaks out in 1846 over annexation of Texas
Mexico forced to cede California and much of the West for about $15,000,000.
Mexican-American War grew out of unresolved conflicts between Mexico and Texas and from U.S. expansionism. Firstly, the Mexican province of Texas was settled (1823) by several slave-holding colonists and Mexico abolished slavery in Secondly, the government of Santa Anna had tried to make Mexico a centralist republic, and the American settlers found these conditions unacceptable.
After winning its independence from Mexico in 1836, the claimed the as its southern and western limit, according to theTreaty of Velasco of May Mexico rejected the treaty as invalid and refused to recognize the existence of the Republic of Texas, although it was recognized by every other major power. In other words it refused to recognize any international boundary, claiming that Texas remained a province. The Republic of Texas tried continuosly to gain recognition from Mexico as an independent state, putting the Nueces as the territorial limit in the negotiation table, to no avail. In 1845, the United States decided to uphold Texas' claims upon the Rio Grande if it agreed to join the U.S. Mexico threatened war if annexation took place.
Lincoln and many northerners condemned the act, but it ignited american interest in expansion

7. Mexican perspective: los ninos heroes de Chapultepec
The Annexation of Texas
Prior to 1824 Texas was a Spanish possession and thereafter part of independent Mexico. Americans began to settle in Texas beginning in 1821 when Spanish authorities allowed American to acquire land in the sparsely settled region. Although prospective settlers were required to be Catholic, conduct their affairs in Spanish, and swear allegiance to Spain and then Mexico, the loyalties of the overwhelmingly Protestant settlers remained to the United States. Grievances against the Mexican Government grew and when it adopted a new centralist constitution and abolished slavery, an institution upon which many Texas settlers depended, a movement for succession developed. Despite U.S. neutrality laws, the movement received considerable support from American citizens in the form of money, arms, and volunteers. The Mexican Army moved to crush the Texas rebellion, but after setbacks at the Alamo and Goliad, the Texans were able to win a rousing victory at San Jacinto, capture Mexican leader Santa Anna, and gain their independence in The newly formed government of Texas promptly applied for annexation to the United States. The administration of President Martin Van Buren, however, declined since annexing Texas at that point would have meant war with Mexico, and senators of the northern states opposed entry into the union of another slave state.
For the next 9 years Texas remained an independent republic, cultivated by England and France, who saw an independent Texas as a balance to the United States in North America. By 1845 the British convinced the Mexican Government to recognize Texan independence to forestall annexation by the United States, but it was too late. Acknowledging the idea of Manifest Destiny that had seized the American public, Secretaries of State Upshur and Calhoun negotiated a treaty of annexation with the Republic of Texas, but the treaty was rejected by the Senate due in large measure to the opposition of northern senators. Recognizing that the two-thirds Senate vote required to ratify a treaty was unattainable, President John Tyler presented a simple declaration of the annexation of Texas to Congress, which passed it by joint resolution. The annexation led to a break in diplomatic relations with Mexico, which had never formally recognized Texas independence, and created a United States-Mexico boundary dispute. The historic southern border of Texas had been the Nueces River, the border recognized by the Mexican Government, while the United States recognized the Rio Grande River, the border claimed by Texas based on the treaties Santa Anna was forced to sign after his capture.

8. Gold Rush 1849
population booms 30 fold in 6 years and becomes 80% Euro-American
population had been mostly native and mixed, largely spanish speaking
sutter lumber mill at Coloma
Extracts a couple billion worth of gold--which will help to cover environmental damagehydrolic mining

9. Transcontinental railroad completed 1877
Opens CA to the East
Rise of Southern Pacific Railroad as dominant force in politics and economy
California was a state isolated from all other states--vast region in between with little population. Before a four month ship and around South america, through the jungles of Panama, or often months to cross the deserts and mountains of the continent--now could do it in a week. Making it a part of the country, and changing it from wild west outpost to urbanized, commercial and industrial center
greatest tech feat of the era--through the rockies and Sierra, starting from Omaha to Sacto, follows I 80in CA and Nevada
Photo--golden spike put in in 1869 Promontory Summit Utah--Chinese kept out of the photo--Spike now at Stanford museum
SPR acting as a monopoly, buying up other routes, ferries, putting them out of business, as in the Octopus, raising farmers rates arbitrarily, blackmailing cities that they would have to pay or have rr go around them--as with LA in US govt had created incentive for railroad by giving out lands
Stanford brought over chinese to solve labor shortage--skeptical at first--weighed less than 120, under 5 ft. paid less than half comparable whites--$35 month, not including food.

10. The Big Four--Stanford, Huntington, Crocker, and Hopkins
Stanford served as Governor, then Senator, but all four partners “ran” CA in the late 19th century
founded university to commemmorate lost son, as governor established what became san jose state.
all of the big four had mansions on nob hill, mark hopkins mansion was destroyed in earthquake and fire of 06, then hotel built.

11. Resentment Great Railroad Strike of 1877
SF had a tradition of powerful working class
Denis Kearney leads the Workingmen’s Party against SPR’s power and abuses
But also against the 1000s of Chinese workers brought over to work in mines and then the railroad for a fraction of what was paid whites
riot of launderies burned, etc.
1877 the great uprising spread across the East coast and inspired a movement in SF--starting in West Virginia, rr cut worker pay led to violent strikes and repression in Chicago, Pittsburg, Baltimore, St. Louis.
since the days of the gold rush, workers needed and received high pay bargaining power, even chinese successfully struck for wages
Kearney led a mob to huntington’s mansion on Nob Hill, threatened to kill him and the other big four--eventually jailed
They swept SF elections, and won 1/3 of seats at constitutional convention but by 1880, party collapsed
biggest riot in SF until that time

12. Kearney and Workingmen’s Party

13. Anti-Asian sentiment
Constitution of 1879 gave all local governments the power to exclude or restrict where Chinese lived and forbade their employment
Federal Exclusion Act of 1882
restricting immigration of Chinese laborers
similar restrictions for Japanese and eventually Philippinos
exclusion section of constitution struck down in 1952 as was alien land act
Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, when Chinese were “good”--but quota permitted only 105 per year
Exclusion Act forbid immigration of chinese peasants--thus questions on angel island about whether their homes had windows or doors. About 30% were returned.
Filippinos could come over as “nationals” until Tydings-McDuffie (providing for Philippine independence), in after which they became “aliens” subject to Asian exclusian laws

14. Great Depression 1930-40 100,000s of dustbowl refugees migrate here
"California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot If you ain't got the do re mi."
Okie culture
quote is from song by Woodie Guthrie
steinbeck researches the Grapes of Wrath traveling and seeing how people were living. it was banned from Kern county libraries and schools, and some corporate landowners tried to extend the ban to other counties, but then it won the pulitzer, then the nobel.
okie cluture--music, politics, racism

15. 1934 Governor’s race
Former socialist and author of The Jungle, Upton Sinclair, runs for office as a Democrat and New Dealer on EPIC platform
Is smeared in first professional media campaign
The most discussed part of the plan is Sinclair’s idea of placing unemployed on farms which are taken by the state for failure to pay taxes. In cities, closed factories and shops would be opened and unemployed put at productive labor. The laborers would produce the goods, the farmers the food, and a system of exchange would be employed.
Short for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for then well-known writer and former socialist to implement Socialist reforms through 's during the by recruiting supporters into the party and then securing that party's nomination for governor.
The EPIC plan was based on Sinclair's proposal that the state of California take over idle factories and farmland, which would then be run as . The idea was to use these cooperatives to put the unemployed back to work. To run the cooperatives, Sinclair proposed the formation of an agency to be called the California Authority for Production. The proposal received widespread attention, and supporters formed EPIC clubs to promote it.
Sinclair's movement aroused the strong opposition of business leaders and Republicans in the state, while many moderate Democrats, who found Sinclair's proposals extreme, rallied around a candidate. The effort to stop Sinclair marked the birth of modern including the use of , attack ads, and professional strategists

16. Growing Radicalism of the Depression era
unions organize and strike--prevously the “Wobblies,” now the Communist Party among others
Over 50 strikes of farm workers in 1933
in the 1910s the industrial workers of the wold were active, but then largely crushed
So the 30's ended with the temporary defeat of unionism in California agriculture. While industrial workers were launching successful union drive under the CIO and were pushing through pro-labor legislation like the National Labor Relations Act (which guaranteed the right to have secret ballot union elections), farmworkers, increasingly Mexican braceros, remained unorganized and unprotected. The Farmworkers isolation from the new labor movement did not end until the 1960's.

17. Salinas strike of
Growers brought over Filipinos (men only) to work in fields after WWI and exclusion of Chinese and Japanese
Growers split striking Filipino lettuce pickers from white shed workers, by temporarily settling with shed workers only, and hiring vigilantes to attack striking pickers
In cotton workers and strikers were mostly mexican

19. Industrial and urban workers in SF and LA strike
eventually win greater recognition and power under National Labor Relations Act--guaranteeing the right to secret ballot union elections

20. San Francisco General Strike 1934
Strike shuts down shipping on West Coast
Entire Bay Area is shut down for 3 day General Strike after police force picketing longshoremen to allow in “scabs”
Employers and local officials denounced Bridges as a dangerous radical. The Chief of Police declared: "This strike is just a dress rehearsal by the Communists toward world revolution." On the morning of "bloody Thursday," July 5, 1934, a thousand police officers attempted to clear pickets from the waterfront so that strikebreakers could do the work of the striking dockworkers. In the ensuing riot, sixty-four people were injured and two strikers were killed. The governor sent in the National Guard to prevent further violence.
The ILA responded by calling for a general strike, asking members of other unions to go on strike in support of the dockworkers. Virtually every union in San Francisco and Alameda counties joined in the strike which began on July 16 and continued for four days. The general strike alienated public opinion, but also demonstrated the strength of united labor. The original waterfront strike was resolved when federal arbitrators granted the ILA most of its demands.
harry bridges plaza is across from ferry building--ILWU under bridges reached out multi-ethnically--blacks, hisp, and filipinos

21. Again, economic downturn leads to greater xenophobia
100,000s of Mexicans are pushed out or deported
anti-Filipino riots break out, and they are “invited” to leave under the Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935
1935 Filipino Repatriation Act pays cost of returning
riots aganst Filipinos and other asians in central vallley towns--also san jose and SF
After WWI, growers started bringing over filipinos, especially since chinese and japanese no longer allowed