California joined the union in 1852. Its beginning was not without strife and challenge. Lawlessness had reigned during the early part of the Gold Rush. Army officers in charge of the government of the area since the Mexican War ended in 1848, were blamed for the violence and lack of order.
But out of this nightmare, the migrants brought an idea from their past to solve the problem. In 1849 Californians chose 48 delegates for a Constitutional Convention in Monterey. They drafted and approved a State Constitution that created courts of law instead of lawlessness, and elected officials instead of Army officers in charge of government.
Miners also made their own justice with all the steps from arrest to punishment taking only a few hours. Punishment included methods such as cutting off ears, branding with a hot iron on the face of the criminal, whipping in public, and hanging for crimes like robbery. Also, they outlawed slavery--an idea the Californians accepted before Lincoln's presidency in 1861.
The idea of justice from lawlessness helped shape California and the nation -- a great challenge in the face of so many new people rushing into an area surrounded by so much gold and wealth.
Read about other ideas associated with the Gold Rush:
Diversity 