June 14, 2021 • 11 mins
On this day in 1846, the Bear Flag Revolt began when a group of Americans invaded Sonoma. / On this day in 1872, Parliament passed the Trade Unions Act in Canada, legalizing unions.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone, Technically you're getting two days in history today
because we're running two episodes from the History Vault. I
hope you enjoy. Hello, Welcome to this day history class,
where we dust off a little piece of history every day.
(00:22):
The day was June eighty six. Tensions had been rising
between Mexicans and Americans in California, and Americans had been
organizing to prepare for rebellion against the Mexican government. So
on this day, a group of more than thirty Americans
invaded Sonoma, a Mexican outpost north of San Francisco. After
(00:47):
capturing Sonoma, the rebels declared California an independent republic and
raised the Bear flag, a flag with a white background
the words California Republic at the bottom, a red star
in a drawing of a grizzly bear. The California Republic
only lasted for about three weeks. In eighteen forty six, California,
(01:09):
then known as Alta California, was part of Mexico. Alta
California was a territory that included the present day states
of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico,
and Colorado. For years, Americans and other non Mexican nationals
have been moving to Alta, California. The non Mexican immigrants
(01:33):
often clashed with Mexican residents and Mexican government officials. Americans
and other non Mexicans were distrustful of Mexican authority, and
Mexican leaders were fearful that the Americans would ignore Mexican
authority and demand Alta, California be annexed to the United States.
Many of the foreigners who moved to Alta, California moved
(01:57):
to the Sonoma Napa area or north of setter Sport
Mere present day Sacramento, but most of them did not
get land grants from the Mexican government. In April of
eighteen forty six, Commanding General Jose Castro said that any
foreigners who were not naturalized as Mexicans who had purchased
or acquired land could be expelled from Mexico and the
(02:20):
transaction could be deemed null and void. Word went around
that this rule would be enforced in that Native Americans
have been told to destroy foreigners crops, and there were
rumors of war between Mexico and the United States. In fact,
on a May thirteenth, eighteen forty six, US Congress voted
to approve a declaration of war against Mexico, but this
(02:44):
news did not reach out to California until a couple
of months later. Pel Pico, the Mexican governor from eighteen
forty five to eighteen forty six, viewed Americans as intruders
and wanted them sent out of California. General Marianne Vajejo,
who was a fan of Americans and thought that California
should be in the hands of the United States, was
(03:07):
more sympathetic to the Americans. But in eight US Captain
John C. Fremont and a small mapping expedition were in California.
Fremont was a Lieutenant of Engineers in the Army Topographical Service,
but on this trip he was also encouraging rebellion. It's
not clear whether this was an order handed down to him. Regardless,
(03:31):
Fremont was headquartered at Sutter's Sport in Sacramento Valley, and
from there he convinced a group of immigrants and Californias,
or Spanish speaking people native to California, to rebel against
Mexican rule in Alto California. Once Castro issued his proclamation
to send foreigners out of Alta, California. Fremont did not
(03:52):
agree to send US forces to assist the American immigrants,
but he did agree to stay and advise anyone who
wanted to put up a fire against Mexican authorities, and
he encouraged resistance. In early June of eighty six, a
group of rebels allegedly stole horses that were being sent
to Castro. The horses were supposedly going to be used
(04:14):
to drive foreigners out of Alta, California, and on June
a group of more than thirty of the rebels, led
by William Id and Ezekiel Merit, reached Sonoma around dawn
to take control of the town. Sonoma was not garrisoned,
but retired Mexican general Mariana bay Jejo lived there, and
(04:36):
the rebels proceeded to his home to take him as
a prisoner of war. Since Bayejo supported American annexation of California.
Negotiations were initially cordial, but the rebels thought Bayejo may
unite finding Mexican factions against them. They took Bayejo as
prisoner and transported him to Setter's Fort and what is
(04:57):
now Sacramento within the next few day, as the rebels
created the Bear Flag, declaring an independent California Republic. The
men who took part in the revolt became known as
the Bear Flaggers. The Bear Flag revolt was short lived.
On July seven, U. S. Navy forces under Commodore John D.
(05:17):
Sloat invaded California and captured Monterday, raising the U. S.
Flag over California. The Bear Flaggers mission was basically accomplished.
The Bear Flag was taken down at Sonoma two days later.
In eighteen forty eight, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended
the Mexican American War when Mexico ceded California and recognized
(05:40):
the Rio Grande and Hila River as the border between
the US and Mexico, and in eighteen fifty California joined
the Union. I'm Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know
a little more about history today than you did yesterday.
Get more notes from history on Twitter, Instagram, UM and
Facebook at T D I h C podcast. But if
(06:05):
you haven't yet gotten your fill of history, you can
listen to a podcast that I host called Unpopular. Unpopular
is about people in history who were billed and we're
sometimes persecuted for it. You can listen anywhere you listen
to This Day in History Class. Thanks again for being
here and we'll see you tomorrow. Hey everyone, I'm Eves
(06:33):
and welcome to This Day in History Class, a podcast
that flips through the book of history and tears out
of page every single day. The day was Dune fourteen,
eighteen seventy two, Parliament passed the Trade Unions Act in Canada,
legalizing unions. Laborers in Canada have been striking for better
(06:57):
living and working conditions for decades. By the time that
was passed. In the mid nineteenth century, industrial workers labored
ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week.
Unions were growing and spreading, but they were not legally recognized.
Strikes were illegal, and unionists could be charged with crimes,
including conspiracy and sedition. Some strikes inside it progress, but
(07:20):
many were unsuccessful. Railway workers, printers and shoemakers were some
of the people who struck for shorter work days in
the eighteen hundreds. Printers formed the Toronto Typographical Union in
the eighteen forties. They kept up with politics across North
America and in Britain. They were aware of workers movements
happening in the United States in the mid eighteen hundreds
(07:43):
as they rallied and petitioned for better conditions. In August
of eighteen seventy one, news of a strike in Newcastle,
England over reduced working hours made its way to Canada.
Canadian workers were encouraged by the strike in England and
by the immigrant workers who moved from England to Canada
in eighteen seventy one. In January of eighteen seventy two,
(08:04):
an international effort known as the Nine Hour Movement began
in Hamilton, Ontario. Skilled and unskilled workers gathered to form
the Nine Hour League, an organization that sought a nine
hour work day through collective protests and strikes. The demand
for the nine hour day soon spread to groups in Montreal,
as well as Toronto and other towns in Ontario. It
(08:27):
also emerged in places as far as Halifax, but the
movement in these places operated relatively independently from the movements
in Ontario and Quebec. The movement gained a lot of
support and saw meetings that sometimes involved hundreds of people,
but thus not to say there weren't divisions and hostilities
within the movement. Racism sexism, prejudices against unskilled workers, and
(08:52):
religious hostilities all affected the workers involved, and it was
hard to coordinate a movement that was growing so rapidly,
But some people did emerge as leaders in the movement,
including printer J. S. Williams, Cooper, John Hewitt, engineer James Ryan,
and railway mechanic James Black. They helped establish local nine
(09:12):
hour chapters, worked to develop coordinated strategies, and helped build
connections across Canada. The Toronto Typographical Union passed emotion in
favor of a fifty five hour work week, informed a
strike committee. It also petitioned Toronto's newspaper owners for nine
hour days. Their demands weren't met, and the printers went
(09:33):
on strike on March. The strike made headlines and garner
support and opposition. In April, around ten thousand people marched
in Toronto in support of the nine hour movement. George Brown,
owner of the newspaper The Globe and the Master Printers
Association that he had organized, went up against the demonstrators,
(09:53):
but Prime Minister John A. McDonald introduced legislation to legalized unions.
The Trade Unions at passed into law on June fourteenth,
was modeled on British legislation that had passed in eighteen
seventy one. The Act said that unions would not be
considered associations that obstructed trade. The right to strike was recognized,
(10:14):
but picketing remained a criminal offense. The Nine Hour Movement
proved largely unsuccessful due to a lack of coordination, employer hostility,
waning prosperity in Canada, and divisions within the working class,
but the legalization of unions was a win for the movement.
In eighteen seventy three, the Canadian Labor Union was formed.
(10:37):
Throughout the next couple of decades, Canadian workers organized more
trade unions and participated in more strikes. I'm each Deathcote
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments
or suggestions, you can send them to as via email
at this day at iHeart media dot com. You can
(10:57):
also hit us up on social media at E D
I HC. Podcast. Thanks again for listening to the show
and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I
Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(11:20):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
Hey, everyone, Technically you're getting two days in history today
because we're running two episodes from the History Vault. I
hope you enjoy. Hello, Welcome to this day history class,
where we dust off a little piece of history every day.
(00:22):
The day was June eighty six. Tensions had been rising
between Mexicans and Americans in California, and Americans had been
organizing to prepare for rebellion against the Mexican government. So
on this day, a group of more than thirty Americans
invaded Sonoma, a Mexican outpost north of San Francisco. After
(00:47):
capturing Sonoma, the rebels declared California an independent republic and
raised the Bear flag, a flag with a white background
the words California Republic at the bottom, a red star
in a drawing of a grizzly bear. The California Republic
only lasted for about three weeks. In eighteen forty six, California,
(01:09):
then known as Alta California, was part of Mexico. Alta
California was a territory that included the present day states
of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico,
and Colorado. For years, Americans and other non Mexican nationals
have been moving to Alta, California. The non Mexican immigrants
(01:33):
often clashed with Mexican residents and Mexican government officials. Americans
and other non Mexicans were distrustful of Mexican authority, and
Mexican leaders were fearful that the Americans would ignore Mexican
authority and demand Alta, California be annexed to the United States.
Many of the foreigners who moved to Alta, California moved
(01:57):
to the Sonoma Napa area or north of setter Sport
Mere present day Sacramento, but most of them did not
get land grants from the Mexican government. In April of
eighteen forty six, Commanding General Jose Castro said that any
foreigners who were not naturalized as Mexicans who had purchased
or acquired land could be expelled from Mexico and the
(02:20):
transaction could be deemed null and void. Word went around
that this rule would be enforced in that Native Americans
have been told to destroy foreigners crops, and there were
rumors of war between Mexico and the United States. In fact,
on a May thirteenth, eighteen forty six, US Congress voted
to approve a declaration of war against Mexico, but this
(02:44):
news did not reach out to California until a couple
of months later. Pel Pico, the Mexican governor from eighteen
forty five to eighteen forty six, viewed Americans as intruders
and wanted them sent out of California. General Marianne Vajejo,
who was a fan of Americans and thought that California
should be in the hands of the United States, was
(03:07):
more sympathetic to the Americans. But in eight US Captain
John C. Fremont and a small mapping expedition were in California.
Fremont was a Lieutenant of Engineers in the Army Topographical Service,
but on this trip he was also encouraging rebellion. It's
not clear whether this was an order handed down to him. Regardless,
(03:31):
Fremont was headquartered at Sutter's Sport in Sacramento Valley, and
from there he convinced a group of immigrants and Californias,
or Spanish speaking people native to California, to rebel against
Mexican rule in Alto California. Once Castro issued his proclamation
to send foreigners out of Alta, California. Fremont did not
(03:52):
agree to send US forces to assist the American immigrants,
but he did agree to stay and advise anyone who
wanted to put up a fire against Mexican authorities, and
he encouraged resistance. In early June of eighty six, a
group of rebels allegedly stole horses that were being sent
to Castro. The horses were supposedly going to be used
(04:14):
to drive foreigners out of Alta, California, and on June
a group of more than thirty of the rebels, led
by William Id and Ezekiel Merit, reached Sonoma around dawn
to take control of the town. Sonoma was not garrisoned,
but retired Mexican general Mariana bay Jejo lived there, and
(04:36):
the rebels proceeded to his home to take him as
a prisoner of war. Since Bayejo supported American annexation of California.
Negotiations were initially cordial, but the rebels thought Bayejo may
unite finding Mexican factions against them. They took Bayejo as
prisoner and transported him to Setter's Fort and what is
(04:57):
now Sacramento within the next few day, as the rebels
created the Bear Flag, declaring an independent California Republic. The
men who took part in the revolt became known as
the Bear Flaggers. The Bear Flag revolt was short lived.
On July seven, U. S. Navy forces under Commodore John D.
(05:17):
Sloat invaded California and captured Monterday, raising the U. S.
Flag over California. The Bear Flaggers mission was basically accomplished.
The Bear Flag was taken down at Sonoma two days later.
In eighteen forty eight, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended
the Mexican American War when Mexico ceded California and recognized
(05:40):
the Rio Grande and Hila River as the border between
the US and Mexico, and in eighteen fifty California joined
the Union. I'm Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know
a little more about history today than you did yesterday.
Get more notes from history on Twitter, Instagram, UM and
Facebook at T D I h C podcast. But if
(06:05):
you haven't yet gotten your fill of history, you can
listen to a podcast that I host called Unpopular. Unpopular
is about people in history who were billed and we're
sometimes persecuted for it. You can listen anywhere you listen
to This Day in History Class. Thanks again for being
here and we'll see you tomorrow. Hey everyone, I'm Eves
(06:33):
and welcome to This Day in History Class, a podcast
that flips through the book of history and tears out
of page every single day. The day was Dune fourteen,
eighteen seventy two, Parliament passed the Trade Unions Act in Canada,
legalizing unions. Laborers in Canada have been striking for better
(06:57):
living and working conditions for decades. By the time that
was passed. In the mid nineteenth century, industrial workers labored
ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week.
Unions were growing and spreading, but they were not legally recognized.
Strikes were illegal, and unionists could be charged with crimes,
including conspiracy and sedition. Some strikes inside it progress, but
(07:20):
many were unsuccessful. Railway workers, printers and shoemakers were some
of the people who struck for shorter work days in
the eighteen hundreds. Printers formed the Toronto Typographical Union in
the eighteen forties. They kept up with politics across North
America and in Britain. They were aware of workers movements
happening in the United States in the mid eighteen hundreds
(07:43):
as they rallied and petitioned for better conditions. In August
of eighteen seventy one, news of a strike in Newcastle,
England over reduced working hours made its way to Canada.
Canadian workers were encouraged by the strike in England and
by the immigrant workers who moved from England to Canada
in eighteen seventy one. In January of eighteen seventy two,
(08:04):
an international effort known as the Nine Hour Movement began
in Hamilton, Ontario. Skilled and unskilled workers gathered to form
the Nine Hour League, an organization that sought a nine
hour work day through collective protests and strikes. The demand
for the nine hour day soon spread to groups in Montreal,
as well as Toronto and other towns in Ontario. It
(08:27):
also emerged in places as far as Halifax, but the
movement in these places operated relatively independently from the movements
in Ontario and Quebec. The movement gained a lot of
support and saw meetings that sometimes involved hundreds of people,
but thus not to say there weren't divisions and hostilities
within the movement. Racism sexism, prejudices against unskilled workers, and
(08:52):
religious hostilities all affected the workers involved, and it was
hard to coordinate a movement that was growing so rapidly,
But some people did emerge as leaders in the movement,
including printer J. S. Williams, Cooper, John Hewitt, engineer James Ryan,
and railway mechanic James Black. They helped establish local nine
(09:12):
hour chapters, worked to develop coordinated strategies, and helped build
connections across Canada. The Toronto Typographical Union passed emotion in
favor of a fifty five hour work week, informed a
strike committee. It also petitioned Toronto's newspaper owners for nine
hour days. Their demands weren't met, and the printers went
(09:33):
on strike on March. The strike made headlines and garner
support and opposition. In April, around ten thousand people marched
in Toronto in support of the nine hour movement. George Brown,
owner of the newspaper The Globe and the Master Printers
Association that he had organized, went up against the demonstrators,
(09:53):
but Prime Minister John A. McDonald introduced legislation to legalized unions.
The Trade Unions at passed into law on June fourteenth,
was modeled on British legislation that had passed in eighteen
seventy one. The Act said that unions would not be
considered associations that obstructed trade. The right to strike was recognized,
(10:14):
but picketing remained a criminal offense. The Nine Hour Movement
proved largely unsuccessful due to a lack of coordination, employer hostility,
waning prosperity in Canada, and divisions within the working class,
but the legalization of unions was a win for the movement.
In eighteen seventy three, the Canadian Labor Union was formed.
(10:37):
Throughout the next couple of decades, Canadian workers organized more
trade unions and participated in more strikes. I'm each Deathcote
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments
or suggestions, you can send them to as via email
at this day at iHeart media dot com. You can
(10:57):
also hit us up on social media at E D
I HC. Podcast. Thanks again for listening to the show
and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I
Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(11:20):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
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