California’s Entry into the United States

The United States and Mexico signed a treaty that returned the southwest, including California, back to the United States in 1848. The same year, the discovery of gold fastened the admission of California to the union. With the gold rush, there was an increase in the state’s population as people migrated from other regions within the U.S. to California, in pursuit of opportunities. California was perceived as a remote area, one ripe with investment opportunities, an adventure zone, and a romantic destination. In Two Years Before the Mast, Dana (1840) explains that when they arrived in the state, everyone came to look and buy from their boats as they were not common in the area. He also noted that Californians were unable to make products for themselves. For example, the state produced a lot of grapes but bought low-quality wine from Boston instead of domestic production. The native Indians were the original people living in the state. California became the 31st state after they sought statehood in 1849. The slavery issue raised in the state led to the rise of a heated debate in congress. It entered the union as a free state. With California’s entry into the United States and the union, the native inhabitants, as well as those that emigrated there faced several changes in terms of the political issues, racial interactions, and gendered assumptions as the population diversified.

Californians faced a transformation in the way leadership was structured including the political culture and framework. The California administration located its first capital in San Jose, but the city lacked adequate capital facilities. The roads were unusable during the winter season thus, Mariano Guadalupe as a senator, donated land in the future city as the legislature was unsatisfied with San Jose. As the facilities available were not suitable to the state government, the capital was moved to Banica and later to the Sacramento River delta in 1854. Vallejo describes that periods before joining the union, the 1820s to 1830s, were a season of social and political turbulence. The missions like Jesuit in lower California and Franciscan mission were ruling and settled in the state. California contained about nine mission which cultivated large land areas and had animals in the mission pastures. The Spanish pioneers suffered many hardships despite being a new country. The new country was harsh for foreigners, including the dry climate and the lack of a unified form of governance. Also, American settlers took Spanish land and registered it as government land. They took advantage of the laws which stood to their advantage (Ranchero period discussion). The 1850 agreement changed how the administration run California. The state functioning under the national community no longer applied with the regional restructuring in the late 19th century, the state developed an authority structure in a manner that matched to the rest of the nation and the world.

Another major change that Californians experienced was a change in how labor was treated. In California’s history, the state development of the workingmen’s party was one of the most remarkable movements. The movement was formed in 1877 and influenced working in the state. The aim of the organization was to bring together all poor men workers ad their friends in one political movement with the aim of protecting themselves against hazardous capital encroachment on their freedom and happiness of their people. The movement had objectives such a destroying land monopoly in the state, return governance to people where it belongs from rich people, destroy the money system by the rich through taxation, provide decency among the poor and youths as the country is rich enough to do so. Fighting for freedom of chinses workers from the movement has shaped the state labor relation. Media development in the state also shapes California’s work availability. The start of Hollywood in the 1920s and the development of television studios in the 1920s makes California play a key role in the production and entertainment industry. Also, the development of museums due to high cultural capital has led to the development of museums which has contributed a lot to the development of the entertainment industry. The state has a diverse population which migrating from different parts of the world, including Latin Americans, Chinese and Africans. The developments have transformed people living in it as they no longer participating in gold mining only and painful work and practices, they were engaging before. Also, murdering happening to Chinese working in gold mines was limited through the development of work workmen’s party.

The population transformation in California is a process the state celebrates due to its uniqueness. California’s population before 1850 was underpopulated, contributed by difficult paths like the Santa Fe and California route. The total population of California does not go above six thousand, and the majority are women and children, with about two thousand men. The authorities fear the migrants will be loyal to their country, and other races will dominate the Californians. The invasion from migrants is believed not to save the lamentable situation the state is experiencing. Among the first missionary to arrive in California were departing from Missouri in the mid-1830s (Vallejo, the arrival of the North American wagon train). Rapid growth and escalating diversity are key issues in building the California population. The population rate which has been experienced in the state has been doubling the population, and the state can be described as a population accumulation zone. When foreigners arrived in a state like chinse, and Mexicans informed their people about resources in the state like gold which motivated them to migrate into the state. The continuous increases in California population are the critical drama of the state history and creator of California cultural uniqueness. A state once sparsely now having a high population larger than some countries like Australia and a well-diversified population with different racial classifications.

Additionally, with entry into the united state people living in California’s culture has been transformed. The predominant population in California were Mexico, but other us migrant arrived in the country due to the changes the state was experiencing. The Californians were keeping their social life alive by honoring their ancestors, the early family founders, heroes and saints. Children were brought up with great respect for the seniors in the community. Any elderly person could correct a young person even by whipping. The elderly also taught children the significance of religion and the history of their family. Everything was done in a simple and primitive way (Boston, 94). in terms of dressing, people dressed according to their gender and ranking in the society. The women wore gowns of different textures. Those who have not intermarried and were pure Spanish could be identified through their dressing and their speech. People of high ranking are wore dressed better compared to lower class and native Indians who were darker and muddier and only covered their waist with small clothing (Dana, Two years before the mast). With continued migration of people into California, the discovery of gold, improved ling standard, the old cultural practices were being abandoned, and people-focused practices which impacted their life positively. The migrants intermarried, and the new generation did not have Chinese, Spanish or Indian culture but had new beliefs and practices. The discovery of gold and economic practices such as trading, which were practiced by Californians, led to the development of supplicated tools and which were used in working and doing daily activities, thus affecting their cultural practices and beliefs. The modern Californian man is more educated, racially diversified hence having new beliefs and practices.

Discrimination in terms of gender and race has changed. Indians are treated in a cruel manner that has not been experienced before. They are subjected to slavery whipping, placed in shackles, and kept in stores for days without water or food. The prices for products are not set, and it is determined depending on the rank of an individual, which is judged from the dressing of an individual. On different missions, people died of hunger, but they could not provide food despite its availability. The poor are discriminated against by ranking individuals, and they do not care about the suffering they are experiencing despite the issues being raised on different occasions. Despite working on wheat and corn farms, they gather fruits from the forest as their food and live on herbs when they are available. In modern days discrimination in California is rarely a crime and is rarely practiced in society.

The discussion establishes that California’s entry into the united states in 1850 transformed people living in the state in the 1830s. The administration governing the people was changed, discrimination of the minority was eradicated, the population, change of labor treatment and availability, and the state’s culture were transformed. The sparsely populated state changed to a densely populated state with diverse races such as Spanish, Africans, and Chinese. People have a more diverse culture with minimal traditional practices for intake dressing people according to their ranks or honoring ancestors in traditional practices. Children in modern society’s responsibility to educate them is not entirely on the community; instead, individual parents take care of their children. Discrimination in 20th century California was a crime and rarely practiced in society. The government ruling the California state is elected by people rather than being ruled by missions. The state’s entry into the united state union impacted people living in the state mainly in a positive way.

Works Cited

Californians on American Occupation of California (1874)

Cross, Ira., “Denis Kearney Organizes the Workingmen’s Party of California”

Dana, Richard Henry. Jr., Two Years Before the Mast (1840).

Guadalupe Vallejo Reminisces about the Ranchero Period”, in Sucheng Chan and Spencer Olin, eds., Major Problems in California History (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997), 93-95

Map: Major Locations of Anti-Chinese Violence, 1870-1900

Vallejo, Mariano Guadalupe., “The Arrival of a North American Wagon Train” (1841).