Early California History

Pre-European California

• 400,000 Native Americans

• small bands, linguistically diverse

• mostly peaceful

• technologically and politically primitive

Europeans Arrive--1500s

• The legend of Queen Califia

• Cabrillo and Drake explore the coast

Spanish settlement of Alta California--1770-1821

• Junipero Serra’s Franciscans found 21 missions and the military establish 4 presidios to strengthen Spain’s claim– against, Britain, US, and Russia.

Mexican Period 1821-48

• Mexican independence from Spain

• Discontinuing support for missions

• Establishing a “nobility” based on land grant ranchos

• 1846 “Bear Flag” rebellion

From Mexico to US

• 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 perspective: los ninos heroes de Chapultepec

Gold Rush 1849

• population booms 30 fold in 6 years and becomes 80% Euro-American

Statehood

• Military governor of CA initiates a constitutional convention in 1849

• Leading Californios continue to play major political role

• New Constitution recognizes their land grants, and recognizes both English and Spanish as official languages

• Accepted into the Union as a free state--1850

Transcontinental railroad completed 1877

• Opens CA to the East

• Rise of Southern Pacific Railroad as dominant force in politics and economy

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

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 1877--launderies burned, etc.

Kearney and Workingmen’s Party

Anti-Asian sentiment

• New 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 (later all Chinese)

• similar restrictions for Japanese and eventually Filippinos

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

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

Growing Radicalism of the Depression era

• unions organize and strike--previously the “Wobblies,” now the Communist Party among others

• Over 50 strikes of farm workers in 1933

Salinas strike of 1934-36

• Growers brought over Filipinos to work in fields after WWI and exclusion of Chinese and Japanese

• Growers split striking Filipino lettuce pickers from white shed workers

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”

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