The state of California has a rich history, this can be said about the flag of this subject of the United States. What are the main historical facts reflecting its appearance? What does the California flag look like today?
General information
The flag of California is one of the main heraldic symbols of this American state. Before it was officially approved, the so-called "Bear Flag" belonging to the California Republic was considered as its prototype (we will study the information about it later in the article). It can be noted that the modern flag of California is often referred to in this way.
Officially, the modern state symbol was approved as a symbol of this state of the USA in 1911. We will study in more detail the facts about the heraldic symbol in question: its appearance reflects many significant events in the history of America.
What does the symbol look like?
But first, let's see what the California flag looks like? A photo of this heraldic symbol is presented below in the article.
The flag is a rectangular cloth. Its main color is white. At the bottom is a rectangular strip that has a red color. Its width is 1/6 of the width of the California flag. Above it is the inscription CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC. In the upper right part is a red star. In the central part of the flag is an image of a grizzly bear walking on the lawn. The proportion of the width of the flag to its length is 2 to 3.
It will be useful to study noteworthy facts on how the California flag was adopted. The history of its creation begins in the first half of the 19th century.
The history of the adoption of the California flag
One of the historical events that influenced the adoption of the modern flag of California was the rebellion of 1836 against the Mexican rulers of the state. The participants in this uprising proclaimed California an independent state. The rebellion was not successful, but its flag, which depicted a red star on a white background, subsequently significantly affected the appearance of the already official heraldic symbol of California.
Bear flag
In June 1846, a new uprising for independence broke out in California. With its beginning, which was accompanied by the announcement of the Republic of California, the “Bear Flag” was raised - very similar to the one that was raised by the participants in the 1836 uprising, however, in addition to the star, a picture of a bear was also placed on a white cloth. It symbolized the strength of the resistance movement.
Actually, the territory of California was proclaimed the Republic of the Bear Flag. The events of June 1846 were preceded by hostilities in the framework of the war between the United States and Mexico. At the same time, the American colonists who lived in California did not know about the confrontation between the two states, so they revolted against the Mexican government without coordinating it with the US authorities. The capital of the new republic was the city of Sonoma.
In July, when the first flag of California was already shown to the people, a US fleet landed on the territory of the future US state, which informed the rebels that the country was at war with Mexico. Upon learning of this, the participants in the rebellion decided that their Republic would be liquidated, and its armed forces would fight on the side of the United States.
In July 1846, California was declared US-owned territory. The flag of the American state was hoisted in Monterey. In 1850, it officially announced its entry into the United States. The original Bear Flag was handed over to John Montgomery, who commanded a USS. This flag arrived in this way on the east coast of the state in 1848.
In 1855, the California flag was returned to the state and handed over to senators. In turn, they transferred it to a public organization established in honor of the pioneers of California. In 1906, a fire broke out in this organization, as a result of which the flag was lost.
Now an exact copy of the "Bear Flag" is located in one of the military garrisons of California. These are the basic facts about the official heraldic symbol of this American state. It is worth noting that the California flag with two bears and other images that do not match the specified photo and description of the banner was not officially used.