Bear Flag Republic: Road to Statehood

In addition, kids will explore the time when California – or Alta California, as it was called in the early 19th century – was part of Mexico. They’ll follow events that led to the Mexican-American War, Texas’s annexation to the United States, California’s brief independence as the Bear Flag Republic, and finally its becoming part of the United States. They’ll also discover the information written into California’s state constitution that makes it a document different from the U.S. Constitution in interesting ways.

Kids interested in political cartoons and historic photos and documents will be intrigued with the many images of authentic places, modes of transportation, and events in this unit. Those particularly interested in the human side of history will want to spend time learning about the tragic Donner expedition and its aftermath as well as Nancy Kelsey, the first woman to travel overland to California, and how California is connected to the jeans everyone is wearing. At the same time, kids fascinated by politics will want to delve into the intricacies of 19th-century Mexican–U.S. relations. Of course, no history of the Bear Flag Republic is complete without details about the many American and Mexican leaders of the time. And there’s plenty of that here.