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Heart of Gold



Author's Note:
Though the idea was something that came together in my head, inspiration for this TL particularly in format and aim of realism lies in PlatoonSgt and his "Heart of Dixie" Timeline.
The goal of this timeline is to explore how the Republic of California could have survived in as realistic sense as I can do and to explore the ramifications that may bring in the world. I chose the Republic of California as it seems to be a little explored topic, seemingly because it is a challenge to make a scenario that is realistic. I accept that challenge.
I intend for this timeline to be rather long and far reaching in scope, in order to bring the world alive. I know this is ambitious for only being my Second Timeline, but that is not going to deter me. Questions, comments, and concerns are welcomed and encouraged. Enjoy.

Prologue

The United States Election of 1844


The Presidential Election of 1844


In the United States, 1844 was an Election Year. And it brought with it many surprises. A rapidly growing Nativist "Know Nothing" movement had taken hold in the Northeast in the form of the American Party. Starkly anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic, they had arisen out of nowhere and had taken 12 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives - seven from New York, four from Pennsylvania, and one from Massachusetts.

That wasn't by any stretch of the imagination a majority (the Democratic Party had 140 seats and the Whig Party had 75 seats), but the American Party was not the only party with Nativist sentiment. The Whig party also carried several members with the same feelings towards immigrants and Catholics and by 1845 the Whigs in the Northeast became a pantheon of these Nativist-types.

Also that year, was the Presidential Election. Coming as a surprise, Indiana went for the Whig Henry Clay for President. Everything else didn't raise any eyebrows, and even Indiana didn't raise too many eyebrows. James K. Polk was elected with 158 Electoral Votes, a comfortable majority indeed.

Despite the Democrats gaining a majority in both the House and the Senate, however, the Nativist movement had enough support to cause disruptions in Congress if they at the very least weren't heard out for their beliefs, especially as more Whigs began embracing the movement.

The Deal for Texas



A depiction of the Texas Flag being replaced with the American Flag when Texas was annexed by the United States.​

It was on March 2nd, 1845 that the United States finally annexed Texas as a state into the United States. But the road President Polk had to navigate to get the annexation of Texas was a tricky one to navigate. There were enough Northern Democrats who were against slavery to combine forces with the Whigs to prevent Texas from being annexed in a clear way, so Polk had to give concessions to the opposition.

In order to gain support from the Whigs, President Polk allowed an increase in protective tariffs to promote American-made industrial goods and, more importantly, an annual cap on immigration would be created and implemented by the end of 1845. Many Democrats decried these concessions, but President Polk did them to allow Texas to be annexed.

Texas very quickly proved to be a solidly Democratic state, however, and President Polk's approval within his party rebounded, which was combined with his general approval within the Whig party for the concessions he made.

Even with his support from both parties, though, President Polk did not want to risk having to make further concessions and he had to cancel plans he had made concerning Mexican territory, including an exploratory mission to the Pacific Ocean.

Later that year James Polk would make a speech where he brings the idea of Manifest Destiny into the sphere of American thought, and very soon many people were excited for the idea of an America that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Less excited about the idea of Manifest Destiny was Mexico. It had been hounding the United States ever since the annexation of Texas for "stealing" Mexican territory and it felt that the United States would seek more territory from Mexico to reach the Pacific.

Mexico had begun preparing for war, believing it to be an inevitable consequence of the actions of America. Mexican troops were sent to patrol the border with America along with the newly disputed lands between the two nations as well as into Alta California to deter American's living there from giving into the idea of "Manifest Destiny" and to keep them loyal to the Mexican government.

Mexico's actions in Alta California, however, stirred silent resentment among all people living there, especially the Americans. Furthermore, Mexico began to place severe restrictions and stipulations on Americans coming into Mexico, a policy that many Anglo-American immigrants living in Mexico resented. Rumors of rebellion began circulating about, and, in some towns, there was open talk about revolution by the winter of 1845. This, of course, only caused the Mexican government to send even more troops into Alta California and along the Rio Grande.

Many of the Mexican soldiers in the western portions of Alta California married local women and settled down there, which the Mexican government saw as a good thing, promoting stability, but in truth the soldiers in Alta California began to grow more and more sympathetic of the people living there, realizing what it was like to be treated as an afterthought by the government in Mexico City.

These newly settled soldiers brought a bigger population to many of the cities in the western portions of Alta California, with a population just around 17,000. And then, on one fateful day in September, a young Enrico Hernandez discovered gold.

The Irish Potato Famine



A sketch of an Irish family leaving Ireland due to the Potato Famine.​

When the Irish Potato Famine began forcing many young Irish away, the first place they turned was the United States. But with the Nativists successfully passing anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic immigration policy in August of 1845, America became a much less attractive place to live for the young Irish-Catholics.

So they turned to Canada and Australia as places to live. However, many of them could not find work or were resented by their Protestant peers even there. And so, still unable to make a living where they lived, many saw the California Gold Rush as a godsend.

And in several ways, it seems to have been crafted to save the Irish from the Potato Famine. Mexico wouldn't allow Americans to come mine for gold, and so there were plenty of opportunities. Mexico was a Catholic nation, as well, and so the Irish wouldn't be discriminated against for their religion. Stories of Irishmen who had struck in big began circulating by December and by the Spring of 1846, the Irish were by far a majority in Alta California.

But the Mexican government, despite being friendlier to Catholics, still was not thrilled about having so many immigrants, and it showed in the Mexicans that had to live side by side with the Irish. Many felt like the Irish were coming and simply stealing gold that rightfully belonged to Mexico and to Mexicans. However, as a majority in the area, the Irish this time saw no reason to move somewhere else. Nevertheless, this anti-Irish resentment turned many of the young Irish on to the idea of rebelling against the Mexican government, and they certainly had the numbers to do so. Between the United States with Texas and the Irish in Alta California, Mexico had put itself in quite a bind.

By the end of 1845, Alta California had just over 80,000 people, 50,000 of which were Irish immigrants. The rest consisted of Mexicans themselves, Chinese immigrants, and Anglo-Americans that had been living there already.

Independence Declared



A Californian charge against a Mexican occupied city.​

On April 23rd of 1846, America declared war on Mexico, claiming that "American blood has been shed on American soil" as a result of the border dispute between Mexico and the United States with the boundary of Texas being in dispute. This declaration of war came as a result of two events.

A skirmish outside of Santa Fe between Mexican soldiers and American soldiers led by John C. Fremont that resulted in 23 American deaths and Fremont losing two fingers and an eye that occurred in December of 1845. Fremont left military service, but he decided to take up writing, penning the short story Christmas in Santa Fe about the skirmish.

The second was when President James Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor and his forces south to the Rio Grande, entering the territory that Mexicans disputed. Mexico laid claim to all the lands as far north as the Nueces River (about 150 mi north of the Rio Grande) The U.S. claimed that the border was the Rio Grande, citing the 1836 Treaties of Velasco. Mexico rejected the treaties and refused to negotiate, claiming all of Texas as theirs. Taylor, ignoring Mexican demands to withdraw to the Nueces, constructed a makeshift fort he named Fort Texas on the banks of the Rio Grande opposite the Mexican city of Matamoros. In March of 1846, a Mexican cavalry unit routed a patrol by Captain Thornton, killing 13 Americans, including Captain Thornton himself.

In January of 1846, in Alta California, arrived units of Mexican soldiers sent to levy heavy taxes on the gold mined in California. The Mexican government was trying to raise money for the upcoming war with America, and at first, the Irish submitted to the confiscation as they were still much wealthier and in a better condition than the other places they had moved. But the soldiers began taking more and more over the early months of 1846.

On March 13th, a fight between Mexican soldiers and Irish immigrants in San Francisco went south very quickly, resulting in seven Irishmen dead. The Irish had accused the Mexican soldiers of confiscating gold for themselves. The Irish population of San Francisco exploded in outrage, and the Anglo-Americans joined them. Every gun in the city was confiscated and by the morning of March 14th the city was under their control, with the gold found being taken back by the immigrants in Alta California.

Mexico sent several units into California, but all were captured in turn as more and more people rose up in rebellion. Eventually, all gold mining was stopped except by women and small children so that the men could help protect the cities and train to fight off the Mexican military.

By the end of the month, an interim "California Congress" had formed for the rebel government in California, and on April 7th they declared the Republic of California as a nation independent of Mexico. Their declaration of independence, modeled heavily on the American and Texan Declarations of Independence, laid out all of the injustices the Mexican military and government had committed against the Californians. A copy of the California Declaration of Independence was sent to Mexico City, Washington D.C., London, Paris, and, due to the efforts of the Irish and Hispanic Catholics that were a part of the California Congress, to the Pope in Rome. Despite these efforts, the Republic of California stayed unrecognized on the world stage for the time being. But with Mexico in two wars by the end of April 1846, they couldn't hold on to California for much longer if at all...
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