USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -California’s constitution proclaimed that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, unless for punishment of a crime, shall ever be tolerated.” Yet archives statewide contain evidence that slavery was practiced out in the open.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1849 California adopted a constitution banning slavery and applied for admission to the United States. To balance California’s entry into the Union as a free state, the Compromise of 1850 included other measures-such as a stricter law on the return of fugitive slaves-that appeased the South.

Detailed explanation-3: -How ‘free state’ California wrote slavery and white supremacy into its law books. California joined the Union as a free state in 1850, with a state Constitution that expressly outlawed slavery.

Detailed explanation-4: -The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Detailed explanation-5: -With the Gold Rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government. In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850.