Let's start with a little bit of history. What year did California go from being a territory to an official free, non-slavery state of the Union?

If you know your California history, you'll know that the gold rush that started in 1848 and culminated a year later was instrumental in officially pushing the territory into the United States. Per the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the Union as a free, non-slavery state. That was a big deal at the time, as the Civil War was looming, and the different between "Union" and "Confederate" states was stark.

Asked by Tom Cohen · Last updated 5 years ago · 1.8K views