Statehood
Political affairs in California were confused and chaotic in the early years of the gold rush. Deadlocked over the future of slavery in lands acquired during the Mexican American War, Congress provided no legal form of government for California until its admission to the union in the fall of 1850.
Impatient Californians assembled in a constitutional convention in Monterey in 1849 to engage in some serious constitution making. The delegates to the convention drafted a constitution that established the fundamental structure of California government. They also attended to such minor matters as approving a design for the great seal of the state of California.
President Millard Fillmore signed a bill for the admission of California on September 9, 1850, a date celebrated forever after as Admission Day.
California political affairs remained somewhat unsettled as the roving capital moved from city to city in search of a permanent home.