1. "The Fight for Slavery in California“
by James M. McPherson
CALIFORNIA
AND
THE CIVIL WAR
Ashley Rubio
HIST 141

2. Natural Limits
 According to historians, a thesis which explained that slavery could
and would not expand passed Texas. The cotton frontier had
marked a definitive end to where slavery would stop creating a
natural limit onward toward to the West.
 Ideas that the natural limits did not exist were based on instilling a
fear that Negros would create a hostile uprising if not enslaved.

3. Taking matters into their own hands…
 After transferring California from
Mexico to the United States and the
influx of population due to the Gold
Rush, order was needed.
The House of Representatives
organized California as a free
territory. Allowing the state to draw
up its own constitution submitted to
Congress in 1849.
 Within the constitution of
California the statehood would solve
the problem of slavery banning it.
 At the time the majority of anti
slavery in California was based on
the idea of eliminating competition
for gold mining.

4. Dominating the opposition…
In 1852 they enacted a law that
would allow a slave owner to
“sojourn” in California with
human property. While the law
was upheld for a time once it was
eliminated it was one to the next
scheme.
In 1859 attempts to split the state
into North and South territories
was made to eliminate the
The Chivalry banned in opposition argument of slaves in the North
to the banning of slavery in due to the mining competition.
California. Migrating from
their home states in the South The bill for the split of Southern
these men would stop at California was eliminated within
the House of Representative and
nothing to reintegrate slavery. California remain a single state
Most influential was William slavery free.
Gwin.

5. Triggering the Civil War…
 As part of the Chivalry, David
Terry’s shoot out with David
Broderick may have been catalyst
to the start of the Civil War.
 Competing for the Democratic
Party Terry killed Broderick with a
single shot propelling him in the
race.
 30 years later Terry was met with
another bullet battle but would not
win his second. In 1889 we was
shot and killed by Stephen J. Field
an associate of Abraham Lincoln’s