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Article: California becomes a State of the Union.(1850)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- September 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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September 9th, 1850
WILD CELEBRATIONS erupted in Washington DC on Saturday, September 7th 1850, when the Bill which made California the thirty-first state of the United States was passed by the House of Representatives. President Millard Fillmore would sign it into law on Monday. Cannon boomed, bands played, fireworks exploded and oratory and drink both flowed in liberal quantities. The issue had blown up after the discovery of gold near Sacramento early in 1848 -- a few days before the Mexico ceded the territory to the United States. At that time California had a white population of under 7,000. The lure of gold, however, drew a horde of prospectors and other ...