Been reading Two Years Before the Mast, and I found chapter 21 to be very interesting. A lot to be gleaned from this insightful record. For those of you who don't know, the author (Richard Henry Dana Jr.) wrote this from the records of his diary during the voyage. A great deal of it is about life at sea in the early 19th century, but chapter 21 is a brief description of the early history of California and the social order of the time. You can read it here......

http://www.bartleby.com/23/21.html

Good read. Thanks.

the Spanish were to America, what the Brits, Belgiums, French, Germans, Portuguese were to Africa. European colonialism was probably the biggest disaster ever to happen to the World.

Interesting read.

It would seem that �California fever� is still a contagion.

Excellent post. Richard Henry Dana discovered Dana Point, which is one of the more beautiful beaches in CA with a natural harbor.

Here's a photo of Dana's statute in Dana Point Harbor:



BTW, Dana Point Harbor is the most beautiful harbor in Orange County. I'm usually in it every weekend. But the harbor fishing ain't what it used to be.

BTW, streets in Dana Point are named from lantern hues so that ships knew where to dock. Dana Point has a fascinating history.

Dana Point Historical Society

And for those of you who like rock & roll and blues, there's none better than this: Doheny Blues Festival. Gregg Allman's "One Way Out" was an epic ovation. If you're in the area when it's scheduled, I'd plan on attending, if for no other reason than drunk chicks in bikinis are a lotta fun to watch.

Dana didn't discover Dana Point, you dumbazz, and it wasn't a natural harbor, but a south facing point with a fair anchorage, ruined by a breakwall.

You and the rest of the white-eyes can make amends by hauling ass back to Europe, Sam.

lol

That was one major point I noticed. Can you guess the others?

The people are still serfs!

Yea, you got the surfees and the surfers.

Well - it seems the Hispanics were not the original landowners they claim to be (we knew that), and furthermore - they were into slavery of those who came before them (gasp!)and other bigotry (well, duh).

It's just interesting to see this personal account from the time - which I'm quite sure isn't part of required history study in that state, and hasn't been for at least 40 years.

Viva La Raza! (sarcasm)

California's Population Growth!


When the United States and Mexico went to war in 1846, California was under the loose control of the Mexican government. California's population consisted of about 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican decent), 700 foreigners (primarily Americans), and 150,000 Native Americans, whose numbers had been cut in half since the arrival of the Spanish in 1769. The Californios lived on vast ranches that had been granted by the Mexican government.

The discovery of gold in 1848 brought masses of peoples wanting to get rich quick.


The state's population exploded from 380,000 in 1860 to almost 3.5 million in 1920, largely due to swelling immigration from other parts of the United States as well as Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

(copy and pasted online source)....



Phil

US is/was the equivalent of Africa?????. I know you have 3 degrees from the University of Florida. That statement proves how worthless that school and you are.