Near the end of Polk's term in 1848, incredible news reached Washington: gold had been discovered in California. So began the California Gold Rush, which transformed California from a sleepy and almost forgotten land into a burgeoning hub with a population bigger than Delaware or Florida. The mostly lawless land found itself in desperate need of governance. Californians wanted to be made into a territory or state promptly. In response to growing demand for a better more representative government, a Constitutional Convention was held in 1849. The delegates unanimously outlawed slavery. They had no interest in extending the Missouri Compromise Line through California and splitting the state; the lightly populated southern half never had slavery and was heavily Hispanic.William Henry Ellison. A self-governing dominion, California, 1849–1860 (1950) online The issue of California would play a central role in the exhausting 1849 speaker dispute.
Near the end of Polk's term in 1848 incredible news reached Washington gold had been discovered in California So began the California Gold Rush which transformed California from a sleepy and almost forgotten land into a burgeoning hub with a population bigger than Delaware or Florida The mostly lawless land found itself in desperate need of governance Californians wanted to be made into a territory or state promptly In response to growing demand for a better more representative government a Constitutional Convention was held in 1849 The delegates unanimously outlawed slavery They had no interest in extending the Missouri Compromise Line through California and splitting the state; the lightly populated southern half never had slavery and was heavily HispanicWilliam Henry Ellison A self-governing dominion California 1849–1860 (1950) online The issue of California would play a central role in the exhausting 1849 speaker dispute