The document discusses the fight for slavery in California during the Gold Rush era in the late 1840s and 1850s. It describes how the discovery of gold in 1848 led to a large influx of people, including those from southern states who brought their slaves. There was opposition to slavery from many 49ers who did not want to compete with slave labor. However, southern newspapers and the political group called the "Chivalry" promoted the idea of keeping slavery legal in California for years. The document also outlines two important duels - the 1859 duel between pro-slavery David Terry and anti-slavery David Broderick, and Terry's later attempted duel against Stephen Field in 1888 after being released from jail.