Interim government of California

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The interim government of California existed from soon after the outbreak of the Mexican–American War in mid-1846 until U.S. statehood in September, 1850. There were three distinct phases: The first phase was from the beginning of the wartime military occupation until cession of California to the United States in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The occupied areas included Alta California (occupied on July 7, 1846) and the Baja California Peninsula (occupied in 1847). Government during that period was essentially martial law. The second phase began with the 1848 cession. The area that is now the U.S. state of California became part of a U.S. territory, and the Baja peninsula was returned to Mexico. In the U.S. California (which consisted of what was Alta California), existing local government structures were largely left in place, but the military presence remained, and the military governors retained absolute authority to overrule any local decision. Transition to the third phase...

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