California History

How did Spanish colonization transform California?

• It had no effect on land or labor.
• It established Silicon Valley.
• It reorganized land use, labor, religion, and settlement while imposing severe costs on Native peoples.
• It changed only place names.

How did Mexican rule both continue and change earlier colonial California?

• California became a U.S. state in 1821.
• Rancho society ended before Mexican rule began.
• Some institutions persisted, while mission land control changed and rancho society expanded.
• All Spanish-era institutions vanished instantly.

Which interpretation best captures the California Gold Rush?

• It had no political consequences.
• It was only a mining technique.
• It involved no migration.
• It was a migration event, resource boom, environmental transformation, and political catalyst.

Why did merchant and transport services expand during the Gold Rush?

• Mining communities needed no goods.
• Population fell sharply.
• A resource boom created demand for supplies, movement, finance, and services.
• All commerce was prohibited.

Why does California’s 1850 statehood matter in the history of U.S. sectional conflict?

• It caused the American Revolution.
• Its admission as a free state was part of the Compromise of 1850.
• It admitted California as a slave state.
• It ended sectional conflict permanently.

How did the transcontinental railroad change economic incentives involving California?

• It ended freight movement.
• It increased isolation and transport costs.
• Lower travel time and transport costs encouraged migration and trade.
• It connected California only to Mexico.