The Bear Flag Revolt and the Republic of California
The proud state of Texas, the Lone Star State, prides itself in its history, especially the 9 year period during which it was the Republic of Texas, a country in its own right. It began after the Texan Rebellion of 1836, and lasted until its annexation by the United States in 1845.
California has its own history of a republic, although a much shorter lived one than that of Texas. However the official flag of the republic, known to history as the Bear Flag, remains the primary inspiration behind the state flag of California to this day.
The Bear Flag Revolt
The bear flag of California comes from a short lived revolt that occurred during the summer of 1846. A number of white settlers in the region decided to revolt against the Mexican authorities who at that time were in control of California. California was a backwater of Mexico, neglected by the government in Mexico City and with truly little control over the area.
In Sonoma, California, thirty-three Americans, armed and ready for action, marched to the door of General Mariano Vallejo on June 14, 1846. Vallejo was the Mexican Commandante of Northern California at the time. Vallejo was worried about Mexico’s ability to control California at the time, and had been hoping for American annexation. When these thirty-three armed Americans arrived at his door he informed them that he agreed with their cause and to consider him one of them.
The Americans, confused by this turn of events and expecting a fight, captured Vallejo and imprisoned him in Sutter’s Fort. They realized then that they had just taken over the town, but they were unprepared for what to do next. Expecting a fight and getting none, they then decided that now was the time to declare the California Republic.
The Creation of the Bear Flag
In order for the California Republic to have any sort of legitimacy, it must of course have a flag. Thus the American settlers, now revolutionaries, set about creating a flag. The flag was created by one William Todd, the nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln, who would one day be first lady of the United States.
The flag was made from a piece of light brown muslin. The wife of John Sears, one of the members of the rebellion, tore a piece of cloth from a red petticoat and attached it to the bottom of the muslin. Todd then painted a star in the corner and a crude rendition of a bear next to it. Underneath star and bear were the words “California Republic.” They raised the flag above Sonoma Plaza.
Why the bear was chosen to be the symbol of the new republic is something not known to history. Some suggest it was because the bear was a symbol of fear among the Californios (Mexican California settlers). Other suggest it was because the bear was respected as the most fierce of creatures by the many mountain men who made up the rebellious party.
General Vallejo, writing later in his memoirs, said that he had always found the design strange. He also stated that he thought the supposed bear looked less like a bear and more like a pig than anything. However the flag is revered by residents of California to this day.
The California Republic and the Mexican-American War
In order for the California Republic to be a true republic, it was decided that a President was needed. The man chosen to fill the role was William B. Ide. He had only been living in California since the previous October in 1845. Although he was chosen for the role, he was never officially given the title and he never claimed it for himself.
Unknown to the settlers revolting against the Mexican government of California, war had broken out between the United States and Mexico in May of 1846. News traveled slowly in those days, and it was not surprising that no one in Sonoma knew what was going on.
Only 3 weeks after the success of the Bear Flag Revolt, the American Navy defeated a detachment of the Mexican Coast Guard at the port of Monterey, California. News of the Mexican-American War soon spread rapidly throughout the state.
Those men who had been fighting for the California Republic soon gave up the idea. The bear flag was brought down and these men then began to work for the cause of the Americans in anticipation of American annexation of California. They flew the Stars and Stripes just as the Americans did. California was annexed by the United States and became the 31st state in 1850.
Despite the short-lived and laughable nature of the Bear Flag Revolt and the California Republic, it remains a major part of the history of the state, one captured still in its modern state flag. The original bear flag has been lost, however, during the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.
