The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927 Page: 87
330 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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California and the Nation, 1846-1869
South. For nine months the California members of Congress
were kept waiting at the portals of the Capitol. The main objec-
tions raised against the state's admission to the Union were these:
(1) the constitution of California was not the spontaneous mani-
festation of her people, but had been concocted in President Tay-
lor's office; (2) the constitution had been formed in an unprece-
dented, irregular way; (3) the population of California was a
mere heterogeneous mass of adventurers; (4) manifestations of in-
dependence had been exhibited, which, if overlooked, might lead
to dangerous precedents. But the real and great objection lay in
the fact that the boundaries of the state were made to extend from
the Mexican border to parallel forty-two north. The South in-
sisted upon the curtailment of the boundaries to 36 30'.4 To this,
neither the North nor California would agree. California was
determined not to undergo dismemberment, and not to be relegated
to a territorial position. Great became her dismay as one steamer
after another arrived without bringing the glad tidings of ad-
mission. She voiced the bitter complaints and protests, which at
times assumed a rebellious character.5 It is hard to tell what
might have happened had not Congress finally succeeded in termi-
nating the memorable forensic struggle, and admitted California
on her own terms.
III. A DECADE AND A HALF OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION
The years from about 1850 to 1866, may be characterized as a
period of demands for federal legislation-legislation whose en-
forcement required the strong arm and rich treasury of the federal
government. California asked for a liberal land policy; she called
for appropriations for internal improvements; she demanded pro-
tection against the Indians. The program was a costly one, but
California demanded its fulfillment as a right, to which she be-
lieved she was fully entitled. Like all frontier communities, she
4For the voluminous debates on the admission of California into the
Union, see the four volumes of the Congressional Globe and Appendix
of the First Session of the Thirty-first Congress.
"Cal., Legislature Jours., 1850, 1277-1283; Sacramento Transcript, April
20, June 27, August 24, September 24, 1850; San Francisco Alta, April
25, 27, June 25, August 17, 1850; San Francisco Courier, July 23, 1850;
San Francisco Picayune, September 14, 1850; San Francisco Pacific News,
April 26, August 27, 1850. Hereafter "San Francisco" will be omitted
from the San Francisco newspapers.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927, periodical, 1927; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117142/m1/101/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.