California over the years has experienced many historical events, they were either wonderful events or traumatic ones both terms to describe what happened. Making everyone remember what happened in the history of California. There were a few traumatic events that happened between the years of the 18th and 19th century. Memorable moments that people till this day remember like it happened yesterday, which involved the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times Building. Then we have the California Indian Catastrophe, of 1846-1873, and how the Indian being genocide effected history and how it continues to do so. Each event told by different historians or witnesses who were apart these traumatic events. With these three famous events how did this change California and what impacts did it create throughout our history and the way see things now?
To begin with, in the year 1908 a magnitude 7.7 to 7.9 earthquake shook San Francisco awake. Causing buildings crumbled, water mains ruptured and fires broke, there was approximately 28,000 building destroyed, 3,000 people were found dead and 250,00 people in San Francisco were left homeless; however, the earthquake hit more the 200 miles along the San Andreas fault causing the ground to be 21 feet deep. This also affected San Jose and Santa Rosa. People reaction towards the destruction was overwhelming there's not specific word to describe how witnesses felt during that time, closest how they felt was mind-blown and affected and confused with the event, including the people who lived through couldn't fully grabs what was happening. Witness Dorothea Klahn remembered sleeping with her mom and grabbing each other to hide under the covers of their bed and saying that this was the end of the world, both were clearly scared to death during the earthquake. Many people were not aware of the tragedy and aftermath of happened and yet there was so much destruction to be found. In the film it stated that gas mains were suddenly broken and chimneys from homes were collapsing, as people tried to take out any fires that were found all the water mains were broken. The city of San Francisco didn't know what to do after the Ham and Eggs fire, with this fire it destroyed many famous places that we are very familiar with. For example, the south of market, financial district and Chinatown and Barbary coast. After the disaster, when they started building a new city in a month, it took them three years to rebuild everything, and when they built an entire city from scratch, it became proof that the community was able to unite and build, they got their hometown back, and for with the help of important state neighbors, they were able to obtain the resources they needed, such as food and other supplies.
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Next, we have the 1910 Los Angeles Times Bombing, ‘crime of the century’, which changed the public view of American labor movement. Explosion after explosion from the 6th floor, to the second-floor bombs were going off. People were jumping off from the third floor, but unfortunately many of those who jumped didn't make it out alive. To add on according to Howard bloom who discussed this topic at a discussion stated that a total of 21 people were killed in the blast. This became the top headline, catching the attention of not only Americans, but William J.Burns, a well-known detective which led the accusation of labor activity, which then led him to trace to similar bombings. He strongly believed that this was an anti-capitol bombing and maybe the unions were involved throughout hit investigation Burns would go around trying to gather clues. It was mentioned that businesses that did not hire union workers were bombed, so the cause of this bombing was Los Angeles time owner Harrison Gray Otis who wasn't given a great name by labor supports and unions. The spokesmen Howard Bloom brought the attention of his audience that two brothers name James and John McNamara were arrested who turns out that John was working with the union, Bloom added that they were apparently set up. Due to this that when well-known defense lawyer Clarence Darrow was hired. Apparently, it was stated that Darrow attempted to bribe the jury which later backfired. From there things didn't go as well, the brothers were soon found guilty. In the end, these three men showed us a second civil war between labor and capitalism is averted but we also see terrorism domestic terrorism enter American life what Bloom was trying to say that between labor and how the political system is trying to control the industry and how everything is controlled, they also missed how terrorism has entered American living. Terrorism becomes part of American life. Basically, as what Bloom stated in his speech that they killed their own during this situation.
The last documentary was, ‘An American Genocide: The United States and California Indian Catastrophe’, between the years of 1846-1876. Throughout this discussion there were a lot of important claims and arguments that caught my attention. To give a better understating of what he meant of genocide in the well-known Golden California is if, was I and is it worth deliberate killing all these ethnic groups throughout history, specifically the native Americans who treated poorly in the 18th century. To support this claim in the 18th century many native Americans were either forced or tricked into the mission life, specifically the native women. Women who refused to comply were often raped” and were placed in more horrific situations. Moving forward, what is the point of all of this? It is the question and why should we find this important well, most of us are aware of the history of how the Spaniard went through settlement in California; however, the dark side of the story isn't often told.
Ben Madley speaker of this video asked why do we do not know more about these events, did democracy drive mass murder, when making the United States. The response is yes, they basically have all been controlled by the government or military. If not the states as a whole were founded on deliberate attempts to physical annihilated indigenous people and what Ben Madley, author and presented, meant by this was that with having all the Indians people removed from California or killed it was intentionally despite that fact that Father Serra strongly believes that their death was not meant to happen and any diseases given to the natives was not intentional either. It's clear that what missions’ intentions were, if they couldn't get rid of them, they would basically try to erase them from extinction by treating them poorly and killing them. To add on from Madleys did he mentioned that “the colonization of the hemisphere as a whole where scholars documented genocides it then became necessary to carefully evaluate what the roles and notional government played as well whether or not these killings are part of a regional or national patter”, even though this was a long quote I strongly believe that mention the whole thing was important because the government does play a huge role in all of this they wanted to be sure that they placed all their political cluster with everything they touch or ‘discovered’. Going back to the Spaniards they truly knew what their intentions were, same with the bombing in Los Angeles times and the rebuilding of San Francisco.
To conclude, this overall response, the overall role that California played had a negative impacted not only Americans but how we view indigenous people and immigrants. They're basically eliminated them from feeling welcomed in a nation of great goods. However, despite all the negative factors with all these three track events including the settlement of the Spaniards. A second language in California and new community was formed, people were able to distinguish the crooks and thieves from their tone for example during the San Francisco earthquake. Including the bombing where they were able to create a filmmaking industry that caught the attention of several people. I end with my final quote by Howard Blum “The polarization was complete” in the making of California history.
Bibliography
- 1906 earthquake PBS | 2017-2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfLw45MO5z8
- American Lightning (LA Times Bombing) - Book talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgTlV4nvah0
- Competing Visions CH 2 (p. 54).
- An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSKKcIZUw8w
- American Lightning (LA Times Bombing) - Book talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgTlV4nvah0
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