Biography

California is far and away the nation’s largest, most culturally diverse state. 12% of the nation’s population lives here. It is an economic powerhouse—if it were an independent country, it would be the world’s fifth-largest economy. But how did it get that way?

The answer to that question is less obvious than it might seem. Today’s California was homeland for millennia to the biggest, most diverse population of Native American people in what is today’s United States, but the arrival of European colonists sent the region’s fortunes tumbling. California became an impoverished holding of the Spanish empire and then a remote province of Mexico before being annexed by the U.S. in 1848. The discovery of gold and the subsequent rush for treasure pushed California to statehood, but even that growth soon slowed. Not until 1900 did the great surge of California’s growth actually begin. Why did it start then? And what accounts for the state’s dizzying success and its immense political, economic, and cultural importance today?

We will explore how today’s California took shape by looking at its history from the pre-Columbian period to the present. By the end of the course, students will be able to explain what makes California unique within both the United States and global history, and assess competing interpretations of its development. Major themes will include migration and immigration, technology and landownership, political reform, and cultural change.

Note: Honors option available to juniors and seniors.

Open to juniors and seniors and sophomores if space is available.