oct 14, 1861 - Californian Declaration of Sovereignty

Description:

The culmination of more than a decade of neglect and disinterest from Washington, the Californian Legislature voted on the 14th of October 1861 to impeach Governor John Downey, who supported the Union and who also supported the continuation of slavery.

For a period of approximately 3 months, the nascent California Republic attempted to function without an executive until Leland Stanford, a businessman who had briefly served in the State Senate during statehood, organized the Bear Flag Party and was able to bring about an election for President that put him into the position of the Executive, getting the Californian government back on track, even to the point of starting to draft a constitution.