Bear Flag Revolt - Definition and Overview

The first Bear Flag.

The California Republic' (also called the Bear Flag Republic), like the Republic of Texas, was created as the byproduct of increasing tensions between the United States and Mexico. California Republic began on June 10, 1846 when John C. Frémont and his men in Sonoma declared independence from Mexico. The rebellion itself started on June 14.

The republic's first and only president was William B. Ide. On July 9, 1846 a U.S. Navy battleship, commanded by John D. Sloat, docked in Monterey, routed the detachment of the Mexican Coast Guard garrisoning the port in a minor skirmish (the Battle of Monterey), and alerted Frémont and his men that the Mexican-American War had begun. The "Bear Flaggers" joined the war effort and replaced their flag with the Stars and Stripes. Under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico formally surrendered its claim over the territory. Though the Republic's Constitution was never repealed, the "State of California" was admitted to the Federal Union two years later.

A significant legacy of the California Republic is the State of California's adoption of the flag—which has a grizzly bear and the words "California Republic" near the bottom—as the State Flag of the U.S. state, the "State of California." This was the flag created by Frémont and his men; this led their actions to be dubbed the "Bear Flag Revolt."

See also: History of California, Vermont Republic

External link

• The Bear Flag Revolt (http://www.nps.gov/prsf/coast_defense/spanish/spike/bearflag.htm) (U.S. National Parks Service)