California Pageant

By Robert Glass Cleland

This book is one of a series of books the author has written about the history of California.  This volume covers, in a broad overview, four centuries of California history.  Because of that scope there is little detail for the reader.  However it does provide an excellent read on the large trends of history and the principal players in California history.

The author links the exploration of California into the international arena where England, France and Russia (and later the United States) challenge Spain’s hegemony in the so-called new world.  The incursions of these countries into “New Spain” was possible because of the vast territory that it encompassed and the paucity of Spanish settlers.  This was due in some part to the objective of Spanish colonialism where exploitation trumped settlement.  The English model promoted settlement to allow for a mercantile system of trade.  Ironically, the defeat of the Spanish Armada influenced the development of California and led to the establishment of California’s northern boundary (42 degrees latitude), dividing Spanish colonies from English settlements.  That boundary remains today.

The docent of the Homestead Museum covers California history from 1830 to 1930 and this book provides an overview of that period plus the approximately three preceding centuries.  The book shows how isolated California was from the rest of the world and how difficult transportation was.  People traveled in the same manner as the ancient Romans, on foot, on horseback and in small boats.

California’s development over the centuries came in fits and starts.  There were many booms and busts as settlers exploited the state’s natural resources and were overtaken by the march of history.

National and international events influenced California’s progress as nations eyed California’s resources, until the powerful United States acquired it from Mexico in a politically unpopular war.  California prospered as a result of the discovery of gold, the intercontinental railroad, the Spanish-American War, the annexation of Hawaii, the building of Panama Canal, the increased use of oil due to automobiles and airplanes, both World Wars, the development of the aviation industry and agriculture.  It all comes back to California.