California: an interpretive history

1. Introduction: geography and history: The origins of California Regional diversity The climates of California 2. The original Californians: Food and population Aspects of material culture Location, linguistic groups, tribes Social culture 3. Discovery, exploration, and founding: The finding and naming of California Cabrillo and the discovery of Alta California Francis Drake and Nova Albion The Manila Galleon and the California coast Vizcaino and Monterey Spain’s Indian policies The Mission as a frontier Institution Galvez and the plan for Alta California The Franciscans and Father Serra The sacred expedition 4. Outposts of a dying empire: Bucareli, Anza, and the founding of San Francisco Neve and the Pueblos of San Jose and Los Angeles Native resistance The Impact of the missions Attempts at reinforcement Exploration of the Central Valley The coming of the Russians The last years under the Spanish flag 5. A marginal province of a troubled republic: Government and politics in theory and practice The secularization problem From Echeandia to Figueroa Figueroa and secularization Alvarado and provincial autonomy The heyday of the Rancheros 6. American infiltration: traders, trappers, and settlers: The American conquest The gold rush and economic development A new state and frontier politics Crime and punishment Racial oppression and conflict Culture and anarchy Building the Central Pacific Railroad The "terrible seventies" Political turmoil and a new consitution Economic growth culture and oligarchy politics in the era of railroad domination Labor and capital The roots of reform The Republican progressives in power The triumph of conservatism New industries for southern California Controversies over land and water The great depression Cultural trends Wartime growth and problems Politics California style Industrialized agriculture and disorganized labor Diversity and conflict A season of discontent Culture and identity Recent California politics The environment and energy The new California economy Contemporary California society

6. American infiltration: Trader, trappers, and settlers: The Yankee traders The beaver trappers Early settlers Covered wagons, 1841-1846 7. The American conquest: Overtures, diplomatic and undiplomatic Plans of the Polk administration John Charles Fremont The Bear flag revolt The Mexican war and California 8. The Gold rush and economic development: Marshall’s discovery at Sutter’s Mill The forty-eighters The forty-niners The diggings Early mining methods Mining camp law From an adventure to a profession The historical significance of the Gold rush 9. A new state and frontier politics: Military governments The Constitutional Convention and its problems The first legislature The admission of California to the Union The feud between Broderick and Gwin Movements for state division California and the Civil war 10. Crime and punishment: The nature of Vigilantism The "Hounds" in San Francisco The San Francisco Committee of 1851 Statewide vigilance The San Francisco Committee of 1856 11. Racial oppression and conflict: Treatment of Mexican miners Land-title troubles The Act of 1851 and the Land commission Early discrimination against the Chinese The "Indian question" Episodes in extermination Decline and exploitation Enslaved and free blacks 12. Culture and anarchy: Newspapers and literary magazines Writers of the fifties Bret Harte Mark Twain Joaquin Miller and other poets Churches and schools 13. Building the Central Pacific Railroad: Early transportation Judah and the conception of the Central Pacific Enter the four "Associates" Federal and state support Difficulties and the death of Judah Solving the problems of construction 14. The "terrible seventies": the onset of depression Transportation monopoly Land monopoly The Comstock and overspeculation 15. Political turmoil and a new Constitution: The increase of anti-Chinese sentiment The Workingsmen’s Party of California The Constitution of 1879 The frustration of reform Chinese exclusion and segregation 16. Economic growth: The wheat bonanza Wines The Citrus industry The rise of Southern California Water and land Electric railways and urbanization 17. Culture and oligarchy: Henry George Ambrose Bierce Frank Norris Jack London Historiography Lords of the press The arts and architecture Schools, colleges, and universities 18. Politics in the era of railroad domination: The Colton letters The Huntington-Stanford feud Los Angeles fights for a free harbor The funding bill The Southern Pacific machine William F. Herrin Failure of nineteenth-century reform movements 19. Labor and capital: Backgrounds of the California labor movement The rise of unions in San Francisco Triumph of the open shop in Los Angeles agricultural labor: Unorganized and disfranchised The IWW

20. The roots of reform

Boss Ruef and the Union Labor Party

The San Francisco Graft prosecution

The good government movement in Los Angeles

The Lincoln-Roosevelt League

21. The Republican progressives in power: Public utility regulation

Governmental efficiency and finance

"More democracy"

"Nonpartisanship" and cross-filing

Woman suffrage

Public morals

The Progressives and labor

The anti-Japanese movement

The decline of progressivism

22. The triumph of conservatism: Rise and fall of the socialist movement

The Mooney case

The Criminal syndicalism law

Decline of organized labor

Collapse of the Democratic Party

The continuing decline of Republican progressivism

The "Federal plan" of reapportionment

23. New industries for Southern California: Origins of the oil industry

The oil boom of the twenties

The automobile revolution

The movies discover California

Rise of "The industry"

24. Controversies over land and water: The Yosemite and John Muir

The Hetch Hetchy controversy

The Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct

The Boulder Canyon project

The Colorado River Aqueduct

The Central Valley project

The 160-acre limit

25. The great depression: "Sunny Jim"

Social messiahs depression and deportation

Labor strife

Upton Sinclair and epic

From Merriam to Olson

26. Cultural trends: Robinson Jeffers

John Steinbeck

William Saroyan and other writers

William Randolph Hearst and other journalists

The arts

Architecture

27. wartime growth and problems: The impact of federal spending

Wartime shipyards

"Americans all"

Rise of the aircraft industry

The "Relocation" of the Japanese Americans

28. Politics California style: "Nonpartisanship" favors the Republicans

Filling the void

The governorship of Earl Warren

The spurious issue of "loyalty"

The governorship of Edmund G. Brown

Extremists, right and left

29. Industrialized agriculture and disorganized labor: Green gold

The empire of agribusiness

"Farm fascism" in the 1930s

The rise and fall of the Bracero Program

Unionization breaks through

"The equal protection of the laws"

30. Diversity and conflict: California Indians

Asians

African Americans

Latinos

Women

31. A season of discontent: The growth rate: Peak and slowdown

Transportation

Reapportionment

Education

Campus turmoil

The hippie movement

Black radicalism

The decline of radicalism

32. Culture and Identity: literature

Painting and sculpture

Architecture

Music

33. Recent California politics: The conservative revival

The era of limits and beyond

The politics of resentment

The politics of moderation

34. The environment and energy: Regional protection

Biodiversity

Growth control

Air pollution

Water resources

Pesticides and toxic wastes

Renewable energy

Nuclear power

Petroleum dependency

The electric energy crisis

35. The new California economy: The sunbelt shift

The Pacific Rim

The post-industrial revolution

High technology

The internet revolution

The arsenal of America

Tourism

Entertainment

agriculture

36. Contemporary California society: Transportation

Education

Health care

Criminal justice

The new Californians

Index

Appendix.