CALIFORNIA JOINS THE UNITED STATES MORE SETTLERS ARRIVE

TRAPPERS AND TRAILBLAZERS When did this take place? –1825 to 1835

Where did this take place? Westward over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and through the Mojave Desert.

WHO WAS INVOLVED? Fur trappers looking or more animals to trap. Jedediah Smith- 1 st to enter California through the Mojave Desert.

Ewing Young-Discovered the Santa Fe trail. Joseph Walker-Walker Pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. James Beckwouth- Beckwouth Pass over the mountains.

WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT TO CALIFORNIA? This opened up new trails West so settlers could travel to California.

TRAILS TO CALIFORNIA WHEN DID THIS TAKE PLACE? –1840 TO 1848

WHERE DID THIS EVENT TAKE PLACE? Settlers left from Independence Mo. And traveled west to Sacramento, Sutter’s Fort, and San Francisco.

WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE? John C Fremont-was a map maker and explorer. John Sutter built a fort at the end of the trails for all the new settlers to buy supplies.

John Bidwell and John Bartleson led the 1 st group of settlers on the overland trail into California in 1841.

The trip was very hard. Many died along the way. The settlers suffered great hardships, yet they kept coming to California.

WHY DID THE SETTLERS NEED TO CROSS THE MOUNTAINS BEFORE WINTER? Snow in the Sierra Nevada would make it impossible to cross the mountains.

WHO WERE THE DONNER FAMILY? A family that took a shortcut and was caught in a heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada.

WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT TO CALIFORNIA? Americans saw it as a new frontier. There was a great deal of land with perfect climate, and plenty of water available.

John Fremont’s books made California seem great. There were Job opportunities in Hide and Tallow. A need for new businesses in Calif. A better life was waiting for them in Calif.

THE BEAR FLAG REVOLT When did this take place? –1845 to 1847

WHERE DID THIS TAKE PLACE? Sonoma, California

WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT? President Polk. He believed in Manifest Destiny. He offered $40 million dollars to Mexico for the land.

35 American settlers- Bear Flaggers raised the California Bear flag. They declared CA. an independent Republic. Mexican General Mariano Vallejo wanted Independence too.

WHY WAS THIS EVENT IMPORTANT TO CALIFORNIA? Manifest Destiny: Americans believed that the U.S. should stretch from sea to sea. They wanted ports on the Pacific Ocean.

American settlers were afraid Mexican Government would force squatters off the land and out of CA. A squatter is a person who lives on land without permission. They didn’t want to live under Mexican rule. It was a weak government.

THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR W\hen did this take place? –1846 to 1849

WHERE DID THESE EVENTS TAKE PLACE? Battle in Los Angeles and San Pedro General Pico and Kearny fight at San Pascual

WHO FOUGHT IN THIS WAR? Stephen Kearny-Fought in New Mexico. John Sloat brought the navy into Monteray and took the city for the U.S.

Robert Stockton and John C. Fremont took Los Angeles and San Francisco. Later the Californios took Los Angeles back from the U.S.

Kearny arrives with Kit Carson to get back the lost cities. They are defeated by General Andres Pico. Carson goes for more help

Kearny forces Pico to withdraw from San Pascual and San Diego. They take back Los Angeles on January

General Pico and John C. Fremont meet near Cahuenga Pass and sign The Treaty of Cahuenga to end the fighting. Pico and the other enemies would not be punished.

The rights of the Californios would be respected. –They could keep their land. –Speak Spanish. –Become citizens of U.S.

HOW DID THE WAR END? February 1848-signed The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. –Mexico would give up all its northern lands –U.S. would pay – $15 million –Allowed all Californios to keep their land.

WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT TO CALIFORNIA? This fulfilled the American Dream of Manifest Destiny. The soldiers walked into towns and raised the flag with no resistance most of the time. The people of California wanted to be a part of the U.S.