2.32 America: a.d. 1801 to 1900  (Page 18/31)

In 1839 the Swiss John Sutter arrived and established a "kingdom" of New Helvetia on a large area in the Sacramento valley. In 1836 a group calling themselves the "Californios" briefly asserted the independence of California and by 1845 had driven out the last Mexican governor. Led by John C. Fremont, Americans set up a republic at Sonoma under the Bear Flag. As news of the U.S.-Mexico war reached there soon afterwards, Commodore John D. Sloat captured Monterey, the capital, and claimed California for the United States. As we have seen above, by the Treaty of Hidalgo, this annexation was made permanent. Even in 1845 almost nothing was known in the United States about California, except for R.H. Dana's Two Years before the Mast and J.E. Fremont's Report of the Exploring Expedition to Oregon and North California. Barely 6,000 whites lived there and the Indians were weak. In January of the same year of the Hidalgo Treaty, a workman in the Sacramento Valley discovered gold in Sutter's millrace and soon the gold rush to the state was on. San Francisco rose in a few months to a city of 20,000, where eggs sold for $10.00 per dozen. Two years after the gold discovery, California became a non-slave owning state in a package deal, which also admitted Texas and formed territories in New Mexico and Utah. The gold fever was augmented as W.S. Bodie found gold high in the Sierras at "Bodie" in 1859 and struck it really rich in 1876. By 1880 the town of Bodie was roaring with life and death, with 56 saloons, 12,000 people and 1 killing a day. When gold ran out in 1883, Bodie was almost abandoned. (Ref. 151 , 198 , 39 )

Before leaving this section on life in the United States west of the Mississippi before the War between the states, we should give a little additional information about progress in New Mexico, which was the chief center of the Mexican-Spanish civilization north of the Rio Grande. Early in this 19th century, some "North Americans" began to invade the area, including Lt. Zebulon Pike, who subsequently wrote a book which stimulated many Missourians to trek to Sante Fe for trade. Between 1824 and 1825 some 25 wagons left Missouri with about $35,000 worth of merchandise, which was sold in Sante Fe for $190,000,000 in gold. Later hundreds of wagons made the journey and on the return trip many brought mules, which later became identified with the state of Missouri. In 1841 Mirabeau Lamar, the second fully accredited president of the nation of Texas, invited the New Mexicans to join Texas and then raised an army with which to force the union, but the venture failed. (Ref. 198 )

Abraham lincoln and the war between the states *** (page 1202)

Because there were 4 candidates in the election of 1860, Lincoln won only 39% of the popular vote and carried only 2 counties in the south. (Ref. 8 ) As soon as he was elected the south rapidly fell prey to its dreamers with their visions of a great Southern Confederacy expanding around the whole Gulf and spreading from sea to sea, teeming with culture and trade and based on slavery. South Carolina declared its independence on the day before Christmas, 1860 and quickly Alabama, Florida and Mississippi followed, with Louisiana and Texas joining by February 1, 1861. Those states formed the Confederate States of America on February 8th, with the southern Congress electing Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens as vice-president. The Confederacy was based on the two contentions of states rights and slavery, the former dooming their ability to wage war successfully and the latter preventing all possibilities of-a foreign ally. All of this occurred before President-elect Lincoln had even taken off ice and nothing was done in Washington until 6 weeks into Lincoln's term. Then multiple attempts at compromise and conciliation were attempted, but failed. Lincoln renewed his party's pledge to respect slavery in those states which had it, but would not acquiesce in secession.