California's transformation into the most populous state in America and the home of some of the country's richest citizens, spread amongst Silicon Valley and Hollywood, was certainly no accident. California has always been one of the most diverse and multicultural states in the United States, way before it was a state at all and even before the arrival of the Europeans.

With California's rugged yet diverse terrain, the first settlers spread into hundreds of different tribes, all with their own lifestyles, religions, diets, and culture, much of which was based on the landscape they ended up in. It would be thousands of years before the slow arrival of the Spaniards, who would colonize the land and convert thousands of the Native Americans, establishing missions and villages in many of the cities we know today, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and more.

Over the course of the 18th century, California truly developed into the state we know it as today. Within the century, the region passed through the hands of the Spaniards, the Republic of Mexico, and finally, the United States of America, which warred over acquiring California's fertile and diverse lands. From the first true economy surrounding the California Gold Rush, the region would evolve into America's richest and most populous state, a status that is still maintained today. Yet, the state's evolution into what it is today was not easy, with the gorgeous, idyllic region of California attracting immigrants from all over. As a result, prejudice was commonplace, and it would take many years of various rallies, protests, and social movements to create the diverse and accepting state we know today.

In this book, you will learn about:

• California's Native American population
• The Spanish exploration of Mexico, which led to the discovery of California
• The colonization of the region of California led by the Spanish church missions
• Mexican California
• California's independence from Mexico
• The Gold Rush
• The San Francisco earthquake
• The effects of World War I and II on California
• The socio-political reforms that occurred over the course of the 20th century
• California's technology boom
• How California transitioned into one of the most populous and affluent states in America as well as one of the more diverse and liberal states in the country
• And much more!

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