By a treaty of peace which
followed the Mexican War, California was ceded to the United States for
the sum of $15,000,000 in 1848. Among Monterey's landmarks Colton Hall
is pointed out as the place where representative men from various parts
of California convened and framed the first American Constitution for
the State, September 3, 1849. On November third of the same year the
first election was held, with the result that Peter H. Burnett was
elected Governor, John McDougall, Lieutenant-Governor, and Edward
Gilbert and John Wright first Congressmen from California. From Monterey
the State Capital was removed to San Jose, where John Fremont and
William Gwin were appointed senators, and it was they who pressed the
Government to admit California as a state, with the result that
California was admitted as such on September 9, 1850. Major Robert
Selden Garnett, U. S. A. designed the state seal.
In 1854 the capital was removed to Sacramento from Benicia which held it
one year, San Jose having held it two years as, also Vallejo.
The discovery of gold in 1849 brought on a mad rush of all classes of
people into California and acts of lawlessness and violence became
numerous and frequent; for the purpose of checking these disorders the
"Committee of Vigilance" was formed in San Francisco in 1851.
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