California Songs Volume One

Forty songs with historical context and historic woodcut illustrations. Two audio cassettes. Total Playing Time: 2 hours. Part one: Indian, Spanish and Mexican California - Spain explores California and establishes missions. Indians at the missions chant the mass to European traditional and popular music. Mexico gains independence from Spain and creates a distinctive California culture. Americans arrive, clash with Mexicans, and establish the short-lived Bear Flag Republic. The United States declares war against Mexico.

Part Two: The Gold Rush - Mexico cedes California to the United States. The gold discovery brings people from many countries. American citizens cross the plains, sail around the Horn and cross the Isthmus. Immigrants arrive from China, and are barred from the mines. African-Americans come to the mines, some leave California for British Columbia. Steamboats fill the rivers. The Port of San Francisco becomes notorious for shanghaiing sailors. The Indian population shrinks.

Part Three: Railroaders, Boom and Bust - The Union Pacific, with the help of thousands of Chinese railroad workers, completes the transcontinental railroad. The Southern Pacific monopolizes rail traffic to and from California. Farmers rebel against high-handed railroad tactics. After ten years of depression, the boom begins again.