| July 8 |  |
Editor says, what if California was an independent republic? muses Andy Jackson. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1853, on this day the CRS Sonoma sailed into the Japanese port city of Edo and officially won the race to open Japan to trade.
The Opening of Japan US Commodore Matthew Perry had lost the competitive journey to open Japan to the Western trade but Californian Commodore Robert F. Stockton's popularity would carry him to the presidency in the 1854 Californian Republic Election, making him the second elected President of California.
Stockton became a national hero during the war with Mexico, when, as the Commander of the small California navy, he led daring raids across the Baja Peninsula before landing at Los Angeles virtually unopposed.
Entry posted by
Andy Jackson
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: US Election Atlas Labels: California, Stockton, Perry, Japan, America.
~ California as an independent country would be very interesting...would they compete with the US and Canada for more West Coast territory?
~ A Republic of California would have been ruiven by racial and religious strife tight from the start, between its Anglo and Hispanic populations. And as a separate country rather than a U.S. possession, it might have been reluctant to accept the flood of immigrants from "back East" who, in our history, tilted the balance decisively towards the English-speakers for a century and more.
~ How far south does California go? If they took LA, they could keep going conceivably... Also, very curious to see what happens in the Civil War.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
