2. How did California become a
state?• Tens of thousands of men flocked from all over North America,
Australia, France, Chile, China and every other country that got
the word that the Sierra’s were full of gold. Now that California
had a generous source of revenue, and a population bigger than
Florida and Delaware, it could draw up a state constitution and
petition Congress for admission.
3. Why was California not a slave state?
• The new ‘Californio’s’ rejected the premise of rich
southern men mining California’s beautiful gold
filled mountains and making a killing while they sat
back and sipped on lemonade. ‘Californio’s’
decided that the man that pulled the gold from the
river should be the soul proprietor of his own labor.
4. California’s Constitutution Bans Slavery
• A group of settlers in California petitioned Congress for
statehood with a constitution banning slavery. This
wasn’t on moral grounds but because slavery would
put California miners out of business. If it weren’t for
miners’ already frowning upon slavery in the area
everybody would have been bringing slaves and large
slave owners would have a monopoly on the mining.
5. The “Chivalry”
• The Chivalry was a group of Southern bourn politicians
that headed the Democratic Party. Together they voted
pro-slavery on every law that was brought before them.
• The Chivalry were a bad ass group that challenged
opposing Republicans to duels when their arguments got
heated.
6. The Civil War
• In a way, California helped cause the Civil War. Due to the
Chivalry’s killing of a prominent Republican figure in a duel,
the Democratic Party fell out of favor with the people of
California and the Republicans won California’s electoral
votes which gave Abraham Lincoln the presidency.
California then sided with Abe in the Civil War and it’s gold
fueled the North’s war efforts.
7. The Civil War
• In a way, California helped cause the Civil War. Due to the
Chivalry’s killing of a prominent Republican figure in a duel,
the Democratic Party fell out of favor with the people of
California and the Republicans won California’s electoral
votes which gave Abraham Lincoln the presidency.
California then sided with Abe in the Civil War and it’s gold
fueled the North’s war efforts.
