California has long been called the golden state of the United States of America.This state lies on the west coast, and is a prime location that attracts people from all over the world. California has been a large part of American history and the official state flag is a crucial part of it.The story of the official state flag of California is long and fascinating. A fun fact about this flag is that it is one of the few to feature a bear. The state flag is known to feature the official state animal, which is the grizzly bear, also known as the brown bear, and is one of the many bears known to humans.It is a now extinct species, and is long gone from California. An interesting fact about California’s state flag is that it can sell from $300-$3000! For all you bear flaggers out there, if you want to own California’s state flag, it is certainly not going to be cheap.If you like reading articles such as this one about California state flag facts, why not look at what the Luxembourg flag meaning is and what is Alabama’s state flower?History Of The California FlagCalifornia has had a long history, and its flag has seen this history better than most people. The flag has seen the changes that have occurred in the North American continent, and it has taken a long path to become the official state flag of California.To understand the origins of the Californian flag, we must go back to mid 19th century. Texas had just gained independence from Mexico, but was not a part of the union that was the United States of America. The Texan struggle for independence from Mexican rule earned them the name the Lone Star State. The union had tense relations with the Mexico.The former wished to expand its territories westward, all the way to the western coast. Mexico held a lot of this land. A new American president who pushed for annexation policies began what would be the eventual annexation of the northern region. Disputes between the Americans and Mexicans broke out all over the border.At this time, there were a group of American settlers who were living in the then Mexico occupied California. These American settlers had grown wary of Mexican rule. They rose up in rebellion in 1846. They took the Mexican garrison by force. Following the fall of the Mexican garrison, some men were celebrated as freedom fighters, while the others only as monsters. Different accounts tell different stories of the rebellion.The question hung of what they would be once independent? The answer was the California Republic. To form the California Republic, they would need a flag for their country. William Todd became the person to draw the official flag. The flag he came up with had a white background, with a lone star on top, beside it a California grizzly bear that was native to the mountains of California.This was the original bear flag design that William Todd drew. The revolt of 1846 came to be forever known as the Bear Flag Revolt, due to the California grizzly bear on the flag. The bear flag bore resemblance to the Texan lone star flag in the upper left control.While the American settlers took the area away from Mexican control, they were a long way from keeping the Californian Republic independent. The entire Bear Flag revolution lasted for less than a month. The United States army quickly arrived and firmly planted the American flag. The California Republic ceased to be an independent republic, and became the California state, a part of the United States of America.This flag did not disappear into history, it was in the possession of the son of a United States Navy commander. He described it as a flag and the words ‘California Republic’ under the grizzly bear. Upon annexation in 1848, the American grip on California only strengthened during the California Gold Rush. More and more Americans flocked to California state to make their fortune. The flag itself was handed down to various California Navy officials.It finally ended up in the Society of California in 1855. The original grizzly bear flag stayed here, in the city of San Francisco until 1906. The earthquakes that devastated San Francisco also caused fires that destroyed the original California state flag. The original flag was lost in time. The bear flag was continued to be used as a symbol by the Native Sons of the Golden West. Theirs was the crusade to make the California grizzly bear make its comeback on the bear flag.It had become more than just a remembrance of the Bear Flag revolt, and had more to do with the California state, finding its identity by using one of the native species, the grizzly bear, as a symbol. California Governor at the time, Hiram Johnson, signed State Senate Bill 219 in 1911. This meant that the State Legislature would make the bear flag the official California state flag.The bear flag came a long way from being used by a small band of American settlers, to finally being adopted by the State Legislature and made the official state flag of California. Interestingly, the words California Republic remained on the flag on top of the red stripe, and the word republic was not omitted by State Legislature.The Design Of The California FlagThe design of the flag that flew when California dreamed to be a republic independent of external rule was an interesting choice. The original flag itself was lost to fires caused by earthquakes. How did the bear flaggers design this flag and what did they have in mind?Work on the original flag began when William Todd, nephew to Mary Todd Lincoln who was the wife of President Abraham Lincoln, was handed the responsibility of coming up with a symbol for what was later known as the Bear Flag revolt. Little did he know that it would go on to become the official state flag of California. William Todd had some ideas on where to begin.The flag was created on a plain white background. Todd chose to place the grizzly bear on the flag because of its resonance with the region. It was used as a sign of strength. The design placed the bear in the middle of the flag. On the upper left corner, a five pointed star was placed. This five pointed star would be the literal representative of the words California Republic, as it stood for sovereignty. The star also made a reference to the Lone Star of Texas.The bear flag flew high when it was understood that the United States of America was at war with Mexico. The American flag would soon replace it, as California became a state. The legacy that the original bear flag left is significant. It is the very embodiment of the Bear Flag revolt. The flag is an idea that a small band of settlers could envision a better place for themselves.However, there exists another side to this story. These settlers were seen as a group of drunks, thieves, and slave-owners. Their hostility to indigenous people in the region and the fights with indigenous people means some people call these settlers, rebels. Grizzly bears are no longer seen in California, the last one being seen in one of the state parks in 1924. The only way to see one is to visit the San Francisco Zoo.California Flag In Civil War PeriodThe American Civil War was a pivotal moment not only for the country, but for the entire world. It was the fight against one of the oldest unjust institutions, slavery. The fight to end slavery was one that resonated through time. What place did California’s state flag play here?The flag of California was ever present through the state’s existence in the Union. Before the Civil War, the bear flag was flown during the war against Mexico. After a period of great internal discord California sided with the union, standing against slavery.This is particularly of interest because a large proportion of the first American settlers in California, as well as the first of them who rebelled and set up the Californian Republic, were known to be slave-owners. While they stood with the Union, a great deal of racism continued to exist in the state of California.It sent about 17,000 soldiers to fight the war on the western front. They took back Arizona and New Mexico from the Confederates. During this time, what became the state flag of California was not seen on the battle field. Soldiers had adopted a different flag, a blue canton with 36 stars. The stars were on a field of color blue, as well as red, which were the national colors.What are the colors on the California flag?The state flag of California does not complicate the color palette. William Todd did not throw in a lot of different colors. What were these colors?The white background of the flag was used to represent purity, and the red bar at the bottom represented courage. There was an old glory red bar that was placed just under the grizzly bear. The red star was placed in the upper left corner. The grizzly bear was given the shade of maple sugar. The bear walked on grass that was a shade of Irish green.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked reading these California state flag facts then why not take a look at how tall is a grizzly bear, or where do flies go at night?
California has long been called the golden state of the United States of America.
