Title: Untitled Document
Headings: 
History 383 – Dr. Gayle  Olson-Raymer
Mexican Occupation and American Conquest
Goals for today’s discussion:
Goal #2: To examine the economy of Mexican California
Goal #3: To examine the effects of Mexican rule on the California Indian population
Goal #4: To trace the various movements of foreigners into Mexican California - especially those of the Americans
End of 9/8 discussion
Goal #5: To learn about the origins of the Bear Flag Republic.
Goal #6: To examine the chronology of the origins of the Mexican-American War
And what were the consequences on the Mexican land owners in California?

Content: Secularizing the Missions. Efforts to secularize the missions - or pass the missions from control of the church to control of the converts - began under the Spanish, but were never adequately carried out. Remember that in 1749, the Spanish government passed a royal order designed to turn the mission properties over to the Indians and replace the missionaries with securlar parish clergy. Then, in 1813, the Spanish government ordered secularization of all missions that had been in existence for ten years. However, the Mexican Revolution prevented the enforcement of the order. As the timeline below indicates, it was not until the Mexicans came to power in California that secularization took place in ernest. 1824 - The National Colonization Law passed by the newly established Mexican government set rules that allowed Mexicans to acquire land grants on mission properties in Mexican territory. Foreigners could also purchase land grants, but no more than 71.5 square miles. 1825 - The first Mexican governor of California arrived with instructions to proceed cautiously and gradually to secularize the missions. 1826 - The governor's partial  emancipation decree allowed a limited number of Indians to find work  with Hispanic settlers, thereby breaking away from their lives on missions.