History of California: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Golden State, Starting from when Native Americans Dominated through European Exploration to the Present

by Captivating History

If you want to discover the influential and captivating history of California, then read on… Free History BONUS Inside! California’s transformation into the most populous state in America and the home of some of the country’s richest citizens, spread amongst Silicon Valley and Hollywood, was certainly no accident. California has always been one of the most diverse and multicultural states in the United States, way before it was a state at all and even before the arrival of the Europeans. With California’s rugged yet diverse terrain, the first settlers spread into hundreds of different tribes, all with their own lifestyles, religions, diets, and culture, much of which was based on the landscape they ended up in. It would be thousands of years before the slow arrival of the Spaniards, who would colonize the land and convert thousands of the Native Americans, establishing missions and villages in many of the cities we know today, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and more. Over the course of the 18th century, California truly developed into the state we know it as today. Within the century, the region passed through the hands of the Spaniards, the Republic of Mexico, and finally, the United States of America, which warred over acquiring California’s fertile and diverse lands. From the first true economy surrounding the California Gold Rush, the region would evolve into America’s richest and most populous state, a status that is still maintained today. Yet, the state’s evolution into what it is today was not easy, with the gorgeous, idyllic region of California attracting immigrants from all over. As a result, prejudice was commonplace, and it would take many years of various rallies, protests, and social movements to create the diverse and accepting state we know today. In this book, you will learn California’s Native American populationThe Spanish exploration of Mexico, which led to the discovery of CaliforniaThe colonization of the region of California led by the Spanish church missionsMexican CaliforniaCalifornia’s independence from MexicoThe Gold RushThe San Francisco earthquakeThe effects of World War I and II on CaliforniaThe socio-political reforms that occurred over the course of the 20th centuryCalifornia’s technology boomHow California transitioned into one of the most populous and affluent states in America as well as one of the more diverse and liberal states in the countryAnd much more!Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the history of California!

Genres: History, Nonfiction

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2021

Reviews

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by captivating history!

From the Mexicans to the from the Spanish and Native Americans to the white man this book covers at all and it is so interesting. It’s amazing how much you don’t know about the country you live in. I love these books and highly recommend it.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because of the diverse landscape of California, the earliest settlers adapted to the region they lived in, whether it was the redwood forests, the Pacific Ocean coastline, the Mojave Desert, snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Central Valley, or thousands of other landmasses or configurations. By the 1500s, there were over 500 tribes, with many languages and dialects.

Spaniards started populating California in the 1700s because they were afraid the Russians would claim the area (Russians were hunting otters along the Pacific coast). The Spanish also were committed to converting the natives to Christianity. In 1774, the Spanish established the city of San Francisco.

The information about the various tribal groups of California was very interesting reading, and all new to me. It is only logical that different tribes would have different cultural traditions.

Then the narrative picks up speed while discussing the change in ownership of California, from Mexico to the US (through the Mexican-American War). Then things move even faster through the 1900s and 2000s.

I enjoyed learning about the tribal groups and the early history of California. However, much of this book was constantly reminding the reader of our racism and how America doesn't give ethnic groups a fair chance. Frankly, it got very old. Those things occurred in another place and time. We can only learn to do better; I resent being pilloried for others' sins.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Captivating History Book about California I read also included the 1906 earthquake and beyond. But wow, did I learn a lot about California's history! From its discovery, to its first settles and native people, to the fight over the land and the Gold Rush and more. I learned a lot about the important people and when the first landmarks were built and also the conservation efforts by John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club.

I absolutely love these brief history lessons because it be read in a day or so. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Plus it was free from the Matt Clayton and on Kindle Unlimited. Excited for my next Captivating History read!

[Beth Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I knew this would not be an indepth study, I felt there were aspects that were left out of the growth of the state. it focused too much on class warfare and discrimination, which are obviously part of history. But where's the rest of it? Tourism for example is covered in about two sentences. The oil industry is mentioned--what companies where there? Aircraft manufacturing...who would this be McDonnell-Douglas? And what other wartime manufacturers? This would have benefitted greatly with a few specific details.

[Corrine Ardoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A casual, fast-paced overview of the Golden State's history, covering a wide array of factors from European discovery to the current state of affairs in 2021. Enjoyable to read and never boring. I appreciated the more well-rounded account of American history, not the usual one-sided view. One of many in the Captivating History series. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for historical information on California, but who doesn't want to do a lot of research. In this book, all the research is done for you and provides little-known historical facts you may be surprised to learn!

[Lawrence Cutting · Rating 1 out of 5]

History?

This is a story about racism and social injustice. California's history is not just about those two items. California has an exceptional history much of which was glossed over in this essay.

[Jan Bandich · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCCINCT, CHRONOLOGICAL VIEW OF CALIFORNIA

Clear, simple view of California history, though water rights were not included, it is accurate and informative and gives a quick overview.

[Carl Palm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book calls itself a “history of California” and though the Table of Contents would suggest coverage of the state’s history right through the first few decades of the 21st century, the 20th and early 21st centuries get only scant attention. Unfortunately, the narrative generally moves along in noticeably jerky jumps, and faulty grammar, considerable redundancy and the absence of many important aspects of California history make this book an unsatisfying experience too.

This is no place to get your arms around California’s unquestionably colorful history and I would strongly encourage readers to look elsewhere for a truly nuanced account. Kevin Starr’s books would a great place to start (one, it must be noted, is cited), and those of Carey McWilliams and even my own, are places that truly add mountains of intriguing and indispensable detail to this story, detail that is nowhere to be found here.

One final concern is the fact that this book was not the work of any single author (or even a named group of them), leaving the reader wondering just who actually had a hand in creating this narrative. There is a sizable bibliography at the end, but the names of the truly towering figures among California’s historians (Starr is the exception) are nowhere to be found. There is also no index, which makes tracking down references in the narrative an unnecessarily difficult task.

You might choose to begin your look into California’s history in a book like this (though even saying that is quite a reach), but you will definitely have to look elsewhere if you want to get a truly rounded view of this state’s extraordinary past. Luckily, there are plenty of books around that can do that for you, not as short as this one, of course, but then again, this subject is way too big for a volume this thin anyway. “Captivating”? That's not quite the word that comes to mind.