California Admission Day, Reclaiming the Past, California Pioneers of Pan African Descent

California Admission Day on September 9 commemorates the day when California was admitted into the Union as the 31st state in 1850, after being ceded into the United States after the War with Mexico after the War (1846-1848.)

California Admission Day is not widely observed in California, which means that businesses, schools, and government offices remain open. Thus few remember, by design.

Background
On June 10, 1846, at Murphy's Corral along the Cosumnes River, today's City of Elk Grove, Sacramento County, the Bear Flag Revolt began with several men enslaved and free of African Descent participating in planned theft of "Mexican Military Equine Reinforcement Horses" scheduled to head to Mission Sonoma.

President Polk had already dispatched Stevenson's Regiments to "Conquer and Colonize" the territory of Alta California, Mexico expanding the reach of American settlers as inhabitants. Californios, with Armed Service members assistance, staged a revolution against the Mexican government and captured Sonoma, declaring the area as the California Republic.

On July 9, 1846, Lieutenant Revere of the Navy with US Army and Marine support arrived in Sonoma and placed a United States flag in the territory, officially declaring California as a possession of the United States, the official report written by US Vice Consul, Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. remains part of the "hidden history."

The US Mexican War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed in February 1848 that effectively ended the War between the United States and Mexico.

Having been defeated, Mexico was forced to cede a vast territory to the United States, and the ongoing impacts to Indigenous Nations, people of Pan African Ancestry and others is a vast open secret, awaiting clear cognition and adult conversation.

European "white male" population in 1848 Alta California was very small, so our US Congress took deliberate time to organize the vast territory under the concept of "Manifest Destiny" - the 1850 Compromise.

January 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, starting what became known as the Gold Rush. A huge influx of global immigrants and American settlers, seeking to find a golden fortune, increased in population exponentially.

With vast amounts of land, wealth and resources in play, it became imperative for Congress to organize the territory and establish local governments and law services.

President Polk's announcement of Gold in California helped facilitate free and enslaved people of African Descent traveling to California, few recall that 1/5th of population in New Spain - California in the 1790 Spanish Census was of African Descent prior to the California Gold Rush.

Beginning Spring 1848, the world rushed into California trying to get a slice of the gold wealth, and the population quickly grew and by June 1849, "white male only" California elections, California Constitutional Convention and inagural California State Legislative Session in the Winter of 1849, San Jose, Alta California set the stage for California Statehood.

With the Compromise of 1850, California achieved statehood in just about 2 years of incorporating the vast Alta California territory into the United States. California was officially admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850.

Historic California Admission Day Celebrations - On this day, some organizations and businesses in California may have special events happening to commemorate the holiday.

Long ago, schools would dedicate a portion of the day to educate students about the admission of California into the United States and organize activities and events to share the adverse impacts to equity and inclusion we are finally addressing today.

Reclaiming the Past: California Pioneers of African Descent (1840-1875) remains a very contentious challenge with "popular culture" seeking to discredit, destroy and disparage the salient contributions by people of African Descent, lest we remember California Admission Day and never forget authentic California History