September 9th- California Admission Day (USA)

Happy Birthday, California! Today is the 161st anniversary of the "Golden State". The treaty between the USA and Mexico that ended the Mexican war specified a large piece of the Southwest (including California) as belonging to America. California became wildly popular in 1848 as a result of the Gold Rush. People from all over hurried to the territory in search of their fortune, and before long, a civil government was needed to settle disputes among them and provide equal law for them. On this day in 1850, President Millard Fillmore signed the bill that would admit California as the 31st state of the Union. California was accepted as a state under The Compromise of 1850, which rejected the slave-owning Southern states  access to the Pacific. 

Today, California will honor the day with a celebration on the South Steps in Sacremento. The state of California announced: “Together, we celebrate a more inclusive story of the History of California, targeting 4th grade students through Official Statewide History and Social Studies Content Standards and Practice[this is implemented and ongoing in California state public school curriculum]." 

This holiday has provided a perfect opportunity to learn about the impact California has had on American history. To bring this article to a close, I'll leave you with a few funny Californian laws I happened upon while researching. 

1. "In Arcadia, peacocks have the right of way to cross any street, including driveways."

2. "In Carmel, ice cream may not be eaten while standing on the sidewalk." (Ironic, no?)

Sources:
http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23856
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62735.html
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/09/am-alert-242.html
http://www.examiner.com/history-art-in-monterey/friday-september-9-california-admission-day