1.2 California History
Russian excursions along the north American coast
-1800s -Resulted in renewed Spanish efforts to colonize California -Russian fur interests in Alaska pushed southward -Russians established Fort Ross 80 miles north of San Francisco Bay in 1812 as a trading post -The American government also viewed Russian exploration of the California coast as a threat ---The Spanish reacted to potential Russian, British, and American presences by establishing presidios (military forts) and pueblos (small settlements) in valleys around San Francisco Bay
Mexican rule in California
-1821-1846 -After Mexican independence from Spain in 1822, California residents exerted increased control in local political matters -California was a territory of the Republic of Mexico -Mexican authority never strong. Mexico allowed trade with foreigners and issued land grants to individual Mexican citizens. -Missions secularized and lands sold to powerful local families (Californios). -Ranchos owned by Californios—the dominant institutions. Land-grant system and ranchos fueled independent action. -Mexican rule marked by feuds among the ranchos and with Mexican government. By 1845, the Californios expelled the last of the Mexican governors. -Encroachment of non-Mexicans into California increased. American trappers (including Jedediah Smith), explorers (including Kit Carson, Joseph Walker), and a variety of wagon masters opened California to American settlement.
California and Immigrant Relations (1850-1880s)
-1850: Foreign Miners' Tax imposed by California legislature; $20 monthly tax on foreign miners -1854: California Supreme Court excluded all nonwhite races from testifying against a white person (case involved Chinese witness testifying in a murder trial) -1879: California constitution denied voting rights to any "native of China" (repealed 1926) -1882: Chinese Exclusion Act passed by Congress -1884: San Francisco school board adopted "separate but equal" doctrine and segregated Chinese schoolchildren from all others
The completion of the transcontinental railroad
-1869 -Completed Manifest Destiny -The Central Pacific met the Union Pacific at Promontory, Utah. Immigrant labor was used: Chinese on the Central Pacific and Irish on the Union Pacific. -The Big Four (Hopkins, Crocker, Huntington, and Stanford) controlled the railroad industry and most of the California political scene
California's Progressive Reforms
-1902: Los Angeles introduced the initiative, referendum, and recall to city charter -1909: State legislature approved the Direct Primary, taking choice of nominees from office out of hands of political machines -1910: Progressive governor Hiram Johnson election along with a progressive legislature -1911: 23 amendments added to the California constitution, including women's suffrage; initiative, referendum, and recall; workers' compensation law; railroad regulation; regulation of all public utilities; Alien Land Law, which prohibited aliens not eligible for citizenship (Japanese) from purchasing or leasing land in California
Impact of the Depression in California
-375,000 "Okies" and "Arkies" migrated out of the Dust Bowl Midwest to California ---142 agricultural workers for every 100 jobs by 1934 ---Wages fell to $0.15 per hours in Imperial and San Joaquin fields -Mexican repatriation ---Competition for agricultural jobs made Mexican workers a target ---Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans deported or forcibly repatriated -Film industry providing a relatively inexpensive ($0.15 per ticket) escape from reality, increasing the popularity of Hollywood films -Falling prices and rising surpluses forced production cuts in oil industry
The Sierra Nevada (the Snowy Range)
-About 400 miles long and follows the eastern border of the state, forming the eastern wall of the Central Valley -The mountains were formed through extensive uplifting and subsidence and are characterized as fault-block mountains. The backbone of the range is igneous rock. -They are the highest mountains in California, with many serrated peaks around 13,000 feet. Mount Whitney is located at the southern end. -The peaks have sharp drop-offs on the eastern side and have been a barrier to east/west transportation. The mountains have gentle slopes on the western side, which has trapped water to the benefit of Central Valley agriculture. -Sierra Nevada streams cut deep valleys. Gold was discovered in these streams where it was eroded from veins in the rocks. -The Sierra Nevada causes a rain-shadow effect: Clouds rise against the high mountain peaks, causing them to drop their moisture. This has created fertile valleys on the west side and a dry landscape on the east side. -Ice glaciers have created the current mountain profiles. Yosemite National Park's U-shaped valleys were carved by glacial action -Southern California is dependent upon the average, annual 70 inches of rain and snow that fall on the Sierra Nevada for its water supply
The labor movement lost political power
-After an anarchist bombing in Los Angeles (1910)
Impact of World War II on California: Economic
-Aircraft and shipbuilding industries boomed with defense work ---11.9% of all U.S. government war contracts ---17% of all war supplies made in California ---Defense boom lasted through the next 3 decades -More military bases and installations than any other state (California became the "defense center" of the nation) -Oil and mineral resource production at maximum levels -New industries supported defense efforts throughout the state -Film industry increased production (entertainment and war propaganda movies)
Spanish rule in California
-Alta California was a colony of Spain. California not viewed as a reliable source of revenue -Spanish colonization didn't start until the late 18th century. Spanish presence never strong enough to enforce restrictions on trading with non-Spanish merchants. -Spanish colonization was built on three strategies: ---Missions: Self-supporting religious centers. 21 missions built between 1769-1823. ---Presidios (garrisons): Established to provide costal defense and protection to the pueblos and missions. ---Pueblos (towns): Developed to provide agriculture for the presidios and as population centers.
The Progressive Movement in California
-Attempted to protect the working class from the monopolistic control of big business, especially the railroad industry -Aim of the Progressives was to bring government closer to the people -The Progressive Party in California was nativist and strongly anti-Asian
Cesar Chavez
-Attempted to unionize migrant (seasonal) farm workers in the early 1960s -He was able to accomplish many of his political objectives through a nationwide boycott of the California and grape industries to force growers to compromise at the bargaining table -By establishing the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, Chavez provided a political forum and powerful collective-bargaining agency for migrant workers ---Those who joined the UFW were not only Hispanics; many Filipino and Anglo workers also readily joined -Prior to Chavez's efforts, migrant workers were intimidated by the power of agribusiness -Chavez's belief in nonviolence, coupled with his brilliant political acumen and popular support, resulted in better pay and working conditions for migrant workers -He was also concerned with bilingual education for Hispanic students and medical treatment for the indigent and homeless, but the focus of his work was always the migrant farm worker
Central Valley Project
-Brought water from Northern to Southern California -Series of dams and reservoirs first started during the Depression -Shasta Dam is the largest water reclamation project in the state
Los Angeles Aqueduct
-Brought water from Owens River to Los Angeles -William Mulholland spearheaded the controversial project -Negative impact on Owens Valley and Mono Lake
California missions: organization
-Built in areas with high concentration of native population -Church, workshops, kitchens, living quarters, and storerooms constructed from materials on hand -Cultivation of cereal grains, grapes, fruit trees, and olives; raising of livestock
Bear Flag Revolt
-By the 1840s, white settlers began to move from Missouri westward -A group of these settlers, worried that the Mexican government was about to make a move against them, marched into Sonoma in 1846 and raised their grizzly bear flag, proclaiming California an independent republic -When word reached them that the U.S. was already at war with Mexico, the "Bear Flag Revolt" was abandoned, and the rebels joined John C. Frémont in the "California Battalion" fighting to make California a part of the United States
California 1848-1850
-California ceded by Mexico to the United States (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) -Military government established -Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 ---"Rush" of 100,000 new immigrants -Deadlock in Washington over organizing California as a territory due to slavery debate -Californians held constitutional convention of their own ---Created an unofficial state government ---Slavery prohibited -California admitted to the Union as a free state via Compromise of 1850
California politics
-Characterized as a power struggle between the north and south and between rural and urban areas ---Much of the economic growth focused on Southern California driving a wedge between established political elites in the northern half and new power brokers in the southern half
California missions: purpose
-Convert Native Americans to Christianity and teach them the Spanish way of life (both the sword and the cross were used to subdue Indians) -Provide agricultural land and food staples for the emerging Spanish population -Create permanent and self-sufficient Spanish settlements in Alta California ---With the hope of attracting Spanish settlers to California and discouraging English and Russian colonization of California -Defend Spanish empire to the south in Mexico
Cabrillo
-Discovered San Diego Bay, the Santa Barbara Islands, Point Conception, and Point Reyes (1542-43) -Searched for a water passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans -Future voyages traveled the entire coast of California
The discovery of gold
-Discovery of gold by James W. Marshall in 1848 changed the political, social, and economic history of the state -"Gold fever" became a national phenomenon; the California settler population increased tremendously from 15,000 in 1847 to 92,000 in 1850, and 380,000 in 1860 -This population growth led to statehood (California was the 31st state) -Other consequences: ---Trade and commerce expanded, especially in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas ---Transportation systems developed to accommodate the mining and cattle frontiers ---The mistreatment of non-European peoples, including the Chinese and Indians, was commonplace
Depression-Era California
-Dust Bowl migrants added more than 350,000 to the population -Economic and social problems, including homelessness, confronted the state
Drake
-English explorer who sailed up the California coast in 1579 and claimed the area for England -The threat from England compelled Spain to colonize California -Spanish explorations discovered safe harbors at Monterey and San Francisco -For the next 100 years, Spanish colonization of California was minimal
California's size/dimensions
-Extends approx. 800 miles from north to south, ranges from 150 to 350 miles east to west -3rd largest state in land size -Area: 163,693 square miles
San Andreas Fault system
-Extends for 500 miles -Its movement is largely horizontal, with the west side of the fault moving northward and the east side moving southward -California is a region of frequent seismic activity
California missions: negative outcomes
-Fatally exposed the Indians to European diseases such as typhus and smallpox -High infant mortality rate among the mission Indians -Destroyed native culture -Local Indian populations provided the forced labor to build the missions, ofter under brutalizing conditions
Rivers and lakes
-Few California rivers are navigable -Precipitation feeds California's most significant rivers, including the Trinity River in the far northern part of the state, the Colorado River, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which converge into a geographically rare inverted delta in the northern Central Valley -Also notable is the largest alpine lake in the United States, Lake Tahoe, shared by California and Nevada
California seasons
-Growing seasons extend throughout the year -In many areas of the state, there are just two distinct seasons: a mild, wet winter and a relatively long, dry summer
Salton Sea
-Helps irrigate the Imperial Valley
Highest peak and lowest point in the continental U.S.
-Highest: Mount Whitney, at 14,495 feet -Lowest: Death Valley, at 282 feet below sea level
Economic depression
-Hit California in the 1870s; a cycle of boom and bust was begun -The depression was characterized by low wages, high unemployment, railroad abuses (unfair pricing and rebates), and the restriction of water rights by land monopolies -The collapse of the Bank of California in 1875 (and other financial institutions) further weakened the California economy -Ensuing periods of economic boom and bust then fueled California's long history of troubled relations with immigrants, regarded as unwanted competition during economic downturn
Five primary economic regions
-Hollywood (entertainment) -Southern California (aerospace) -Central Valley (agriculture) -Silicon Valley (computers/high technology) -Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Santa Barbara, and Paso Robles (wine)
Fears of the "yellow peril" were raised again
-Japanese were imported in large numbers to work in agriculture. They displaced Anglo workers and resentment grew. -Asians were restricted from naturalization at the turn of the century. -The San Francisco Board of Education segregated Caucasians and Asians in 1905 -This resentment led to an international "Gentlemen's Agreement" in 1907 ---Japanese immigration to the United States was voluntarily restricted (but the measure was ineffective in reducing tension) ---Integrated schools were permitted ---Agitation against Asians continued
The California missions
-Jesuits established five permanent settlements in Baja California in the early 1700s -Franciscan friars established 21 Spanish missions along the California coast from San Diego to Sonoma (one day's journey apart at completion), 1769-1823 -Linked by California's first transportation route, the El Camino Real -Father Serra is credited with the development of the mission system; his lasting contributions are controversial -Around 1830, the mission system began a secularization process. By 1836, most mission property was privately owned
The shared heritage of the various tribes
-Lineage was traced on the paternal side -Native tobacco and jimsonweed were widely used in ceremonial activities -Sweathouses were used (by men only) -The groups' religions were similar in myths, creation stories, shamanism, and the influence of nature -Ceremonies dealt with birth, death, puberty, marriage, hunting, and so on -Fables dealth with animals and other natural phenomena of the region (coyote, raven, bear, snake, thunder, and so on) -Roles were sex differentiated: the men hunted and fished, and the women gathered food and materials and killed small game -The oral story tradition was used by all California Indians
The Klamath Mountains
-Located in the northwestern corner of the states -They are an extension of the Coast Ranges -The mountains are rugged, steep, and in the 6,000- to 8,000-foot range -The area receives heavy precipitation, and dense forests cover the mountains
Food of California Indians
-Most important and only reliable food for the majority of California Indians, including Indians of the foothills, was acorn nuts (the nuts of oak trees) -Coastal and river Indians ate fish -Few Indians included large game animals as a regular part of their diet -Seeds and berries were a part of the Indians' diet because grasses and wild oats covered many hills and valleys -Yucca plants were used as both a food and a basket source
Collapse of the mission system
-Most institutions collapse when the purpose in establishing them is no longer relevant -When the last mission was established in Sonoma in 1823, the move to secularize the missions was in full swing -The Mexican Revolution of 1821 ended centuries of Spanish domination over Alta California -During the Mexican period, there was a dramatic decline in the importance of the missions -Converting the Indians to Christianity was no longer relevant, and the development of farming communities (pueblos) eliminated the agricultural purpose for maintaining the mission system -By 1834, the secularization/privatization of the missions was complete
California tribes
-Northern California tribes: Yurok, Hupa, Modoc, Pomo -Central California tribes: Maidu, Miwok -Coastal tribes: coastal Miwok, Esselen, Chumash -Desert tribes: Mojave, Serrano -Sierra Nevada tribes: Miwok, Mono Majority of native Californians lived in or near the Central Valley and the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Compromise of 1850
-Population explosion resulting from the Gold Rush transformed California, politically, socially, and economically -In less than 2 years, California had enough citizens to apply for statehood -National question was whether California would be a slave or free state -At the time, the Senate was equally divided between slave and free states at 15 each. As long as this balance remained, the South could block any antislavery legislation from passing Congress. -California became a free state and the balance was upset, shifting to the North. In effect, antislavery legislation could pass through Congress. -Fearing a loss of political power, the South threatened to leave the Union -The Compromise of 1850 averted a constitutional crisis when the South accepted California statehood in return for the Fugitive Slave Law, which made it illegal to harbor runaway slaves -The Compromise of 1850 was only a temporary fix. The issue of slavery would continue to to dominate national politics. -California statehood became a background issue to the Civil War
California water delivery system
-Population is 37 million+; fresh water is a precious resource and its availability is a pressing issue -While 75% of the state's water resources originate north of Sacramento, 80% of the demand lies in the southern 2/3 of the state -Engineering has proven to be the controversial solution to California's water problems -Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct Provides water to the Bay Area of San Francisco -California, Los Angeles, and Colorado aqueducts meet the water needs of Los Angeles and San Diego counties -Population and demand continue to grow; new solutions needed to this centuries-old problem
California during the Civil War
-Powerful business interests controlled California politics and the Republican Party, ensuring support for both President Lincoln and the Union cause -California's distance kept it out of the war, but the state sent gold and recruits eastward -In the meantime, both a railroad grant and authorization to build the Central Pacific link to the transcontinental railroad were secured -Homestead Act (1862) allowed citizens to claim free land if they would live on it and improve it for five years -Thus, throughout post-Civil War California, mining, the railroad, and farming combined to promote waves of immigration from the eastern United States, China, and Ireland
Mexican-American War
-President Polk indirectly supported the annexation of California -John C. Frémont, possibly acting on presidential orders, raised the U.S. flag near Monterey, and then retreated from the area -War was declared on Mexico in 1846 ---The Bear Flag Revolt prematurely captured California (1846) ---Commander Sloat captured Monterey Bay and claimed the area for the United States ---General Stockton captured Los Angeles; Governor Pico and General Castro retook the area for Mexico ---Stockton and Kearney defeated Pico and raised the American flag over Los Angeles in 1847 -The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) transferred California from Mexican to American control
California missions: positive outcomes
-Provided presidios (Spanish garrisons) with food and goods -In some cases enjoyed great economic success -Gave Spanish a foothold in California
Spanish exploration of the Baja peninsula
-Result of the search for the Seven Cities of Cibola by Cortés in the 1530s -Spain was interested in conquest and wealth -Exploration centered on a search for an island inhabited by Amazon-like women who used golden weapons
National leaders from California
-Richard Nixon: 36th president, born in Yorba Linda, California (only native Californian to become pres) -Ronald Reagan: 40th president, born in Illinois, lived in California for many years -Herbert Hoover: 31st president, born in Iowa, lived in California for many years -Earl Warren: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 30th governor of California, born in Los Angeles, California
The Central Valley
-Separates the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range -Extends from the northwest to the southeast for 400 miles and is an average of 50 miles wide -The valley is a flat, sedimentary plain. The soil is fertile and makes the valley the major agricultural region of the state. -60% of California's farmland is located in the Central Valley -A majority of the state;s water supply is caught in the Central Valley as runoff from the Sierra Nevada -The Sacramento Delta, encompassing 1,200 square miles of waterways, is located where the Sacramento (south-flowing) and San Joaquin (north-flowing) rivers meet
California climate
-Southern California's climate characterized as Mediterranean and is unique in the United States -The state has many diverse microclimates, though generally the coastal climate is mild and the interior is much more extreme -The interior basins have the most extreme temperatures
California Indians Pre-European contact
-Spoke a great diversity of dialects -Represented the largest concentration of Indians in North America (150,000 to 300,000; entire Indian population in the continental U.S. < 1 million) -Dwellings reflected the groups' climactic and geographic locations: frame and plank houses in the north, brush shelters in the southern deserts, and earth houses along the coastal areas -Groups were not generally warlike, and weapons were not sophisticated (in comparison to those of the Plains Indians) -Majority were hunter/gatherers (acorns) -Transportation reflected geographic factors: Balsa and raft-type boats were used in the south, and plank canoes were used in the north
California state insignia
-State flower: California golden poppy ---The profusion of the California golden poppy and its lore in California history resulted in its being named the state flower in 1903 -State bird: California valley quail ---Became the official state bird in 1931; selected because it is considered an indigenous game bird -State tree: California redwood (coast redwood and giant sequoia) ---Almost entirely confined to forests of California -State freshwater fish: California golden trout ---One of the four native trout species of the rugged Kern River system
Tribes' similar material belongings
-Subsistence agricultural implements: mortar ad pestle, metate, grinding slab, and digging sticks -Receptacles: baskets (most famous), pottery, wood, and stone bowls -Musical instruments: drum, rattle, flute, rasp, and bow -Money: clam disks and olivella shells
Recent issues faced by California officials and citizens
-Sustaining economic growth -Providing adequate public services and education to a huge population -Urban issues of poverty and violence -Rising numbers of immigrants, both legal and illegal -How to access and efficiently use its shrinking resources, particularly water
Migrations of American pioneer families to California
-Swelled the American population in California (1840s) -American Pioneers settled in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys -They increased the demand that California become part of the United States
California's economy in the 1880s
-The California land boom of the 1880s, swelled the population again -The ensuing bank collapse in 1887 devastated the economy -Hard times and economic retrenchment followed
California encompasses seven distinct regions
-The Coast Ranges -The Klamath Mountains -The Sierra Nevada (the Snowy Range) -The Central Valley -The Basin and Range -The Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau -The Transverse and Peninsular ranges
Anti-Japanese agitation continued
-The Japanese were ineligible for citizenship (national law), they could not own land (the California Alien Land Act), and more restrictive federal legislation was passed against them in 1913 and 1924 -The U.S. Supreme Court upheld anti-Japanese legislation
Economic advantages of California
-The gross domestic product (GDP) ranks California number one in the nation -The California GDP ranks it among the top 10 COUNTRIES in the world -Vast natural resources (oil, timber, minerals, etc.) and abundant fertile land allow for future growth -Cali leads the nation in manufacturing and agricultural production -The higher education system (junior colleges, state colleges, and universities) is among the finest in the nation
Rain and snow
-The profile of the northern part of the state contrasts with that of the southern -Rainfall varies throughout the north from 15 to 50 inches per year -At the extreme end of the scale, the redwood forests of the northern coast can receive more than 100 inches of rain -California's high mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and the Trinity Apls, receive snow during the winter months -Here resorts like Lake Tahoe and Mount Shasta can receive more than 10 feet of snow per year—and often more in a given winter seasons
The Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau
-The southern extreme of the Cascade Range is located in the northeastern corner of California. It extends 550 miles northward into Canada. -The area is separate from the Sierra Nevada and is about 25 miles wide -The Cascade Range mountains were formed exclusively by volcanic activity. Many, like Mt. Shasta (14,162 feet), are dormant or extinct volcanoes -Lassen Peak is the largest plug-dome (filled with magma) volcano in the world -The Modoc Plateau is a level tableland of volcanic origin
The Coast Ranges
-There are mountain ranges along the western coast of California, extending from the Klamath Mountains in the north (Oregon border region) to the southwestern section of the Sierra Nevada (Southern California) -The San Andreas Fault system divides this region along a north/south axis -The range is approx. 550 miles long -The plant diversity ranges from giant redwoods in the north to chaparral in the south -The mountains are a series of parallel ranges formed by sedimentary deposition uplifted by faulting and folding -The climate of the Coast Ranges varies from low-pressure areas that produce fog and rain in the northern sections to a Mediterranean-type condition in the south
Open hostility toward the Chinese erupted
-They were blamed for most of the economic problems (backlash from the mining and railroad frontier) -The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by federal Congress in 1882 (excluded Chinese from immigrating to the U.S.) -By 1877, politicians, newspapers, and citizens urged open agitation against the Chinese in California -The Workingmen's Party was established. It was nativist, anti-Chinese, and anti-big business (1877) ---It demanded a constitutional convention and populist-type reforms ---The California Constitution (1879) codified anti-Chinese legislation
The Transverse and Peninsular ranges
-This area extends from Santa Barbara to San Diego -The Transverse/Los Angeles ranges extend in an easterly (transverse) direction from the coast. (All other California ranges extend north and south.) -These ranges include the Santa Ynez, Santa Monica, San Gabriel, and San Bernadino mountains -The Los Angeles Basin is the state's largest coastal basin and was formed by the alluvial deposition of soil from the surrounding mountain ranges -The Penninsular ranges extend south from the San Bernadino Mountains in Baja California and from the Pacific Ocean east to the Salton Sea Trough -The faulted eastern sections of the Peninsular ranges are characterized by sharp drop-offs. It is a complex region of active fault zones. Significant faults include the San Jacinto (near Palm Springs) and the Elsinore.
The Basin and Range
-This extreme landscape of short, parallel mountain ranges and desert basins extends along the eastern border of California ---The northern section is part of a lava plateau ---The southern section is generally dry. The Mojave Desert is the major geographical feature in the south. -The Northwest and Southwest Great Basin, the Northwestern Sonoran Desert, and the Salton Sea Trough are significant areas in this region -Death Valley (in the Mojave Desert), the lowest point in the U.S., was formed by faulting (not erosion) -The system extends in to Nevada and Utah -Irrigation with water from the Colorado River has allowed large-scale farming in the Imperial and Coachella valleys
Five primary sectors for employment
-Trade, transportation, and utilities -Government -Professional and business services -Education and health services -Leisure and hospitality
The economic downturn renewed the call for political reform
-Upton Sinclair (a reform candidate) ran unsuccessfully for governor on a platform for political change -The Utopian society promoted economic and social reform -The Townsend Plan favored pensions for the aged and a graduated income tax
World War I produced a new economic boom
-Wages, production, manufacturing, and commerce expanded rapidly -The Panama Canal was opened in 1914, which extended international links -An influx of immigrants arrived in the 1920s ---Economic advances were tied to movie, oil, and agricultural production ---A real estate boom fueled the housing industry ---By 1930, the California population had grown to 6 million, an increase of 65% during one decade. It was now the 6th most populous state
Agricultural production
-With cheap land available and a river of immigrants flooding the state, agriculture also boomed -By 1919, California's fruit, nut, and olive growers were outproducing all other similar farm interests in the rest of the nation
The Octopus: A California Story
-Written in 1901 by Frank Norris -Described the far-reaching and destructive practices of the California railroad monopolies -Chronicles the domination of the railroad industries by the robber barons, who systematically destroyed, with unfair practices, small agricultural businesses -The Octopus had a direct effect on the California reform movement, which led to legislation that prohibited rebates and other unfair business practices
How geographic factors isolated many tribes
-mountains and deserts isolated California's indigenous peoples from the cultures that developed on the Great Plains to the east and Mexico to the south -The landscape made extended travel on foot within the region extremely difficult as well; thus, regional relations between tribal groups were limited, creating a diverse patchwork of isolated and distinct tribal groupings
Oil production
After the discovery of oil in Los Angeles County and throughout the Los Angeles basin in the 1920s, oil became the most profitable economic venture in Southern California
California topography
Drastic changes in topography across the state: rugged mountain peaks, fertile valleys, dense forests, ocean boundaries, and extensive deserts
California geology
Evidences faulting, folding, alluvial and sedimentary deposition, and volcanic activity
Impact of World War II on California: Demographic
Industrial growth prompted new wave of migration and population boom -1940-1950 period saw the greatest percentage population increase -Demographic impact of post-WWII years is comparable to the impact of the Gold Rush in 1849 (Gold Rush and war years were periods of extraordinary population growth) -1940: population approx. 7 million; California ranked 5th most populous state -1942: Bracero Program initiated in California farm fields, started new wave of Mexican immigration (program lasted until 1964) -1950: population approx. 10.5 million; 50% incrase from 1940; Cali became 2nd largest state in population -1960: population approx. 15.7 million; Cali surpasses NY as most populous state
New immigration
Newcomers (mainly from Midwest, also from Japan) led to a dramatic population increase
Bordering areas
Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico
The economic collapse of 1930
Resulted in large-scale unemployment, bank failures, and foreclosures
Impact of World War II on California: Social
Tensions of war and rising immigration affected race relations: -1942: Forced detention of thousands of Japanese and Japanese Americans ---Relocated from coastal areas to inland detention camps ---Constitutional and moral questions were raised ---The Japanese were forced to sell their homes and businesses on short notice at huge losses ---Manzanar, a World War II Relocation Center, became a national historic site in 1992 -1943: Zoot Suit Riots; Mexicans primary targets; African-Americans and Filipinos also victimized
Movie production
With the advent of film as a popular form of entertainment, major studios bought property on the outskirts of Los Angeles, creating the legendary studio town of Hollywood
