What Do the Bear and the Star Represent on California's State Flag?

To know the meaning of the bear and the star on California's state flag you need to know about the Bear Flag Revolt. That was the first appearance of the Bear Flag.

Thirty-three Americans gathered at the home of General Mariano Vallejo in Sonoma, at dawn, on June 14, 1846. They were revolting against Mexican rule and demanded the surrender of the small fort. They arrested the general and raised a flag over the plaza. William Todd oversaw the making of the flag.

A woman donated a piece of unbleached cotton, and the wife of John Sears tore a red strip of her petticoat and sewed it to the bottom of the flag. Todd drew a star in the upper left corner and drew a grizzly bear next to it. He wrote "California Republic" under the bear. 

• The single star placed on the flag was modeled after the lone star of Texas, to show support of, and unity with, Texas, who was also fighting Mexico.

• Some historians say the grizzly bear was picked because Mexicans feared the grizzly bear. Others say it was picked because it was a fierce and strong fighter in the animal kingdom. It became the symbol of the new republic, which was known as the Bear Flag Republic. 

The flag was raised on June 14, 1846. The original flag was destroyed in 1906, during the San Francisco earthquake and fire.

After the Bear Flag Revolt

Here is what happened after the Bear Flag Revolt:

• The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 to 1848.
• California was ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, also in 1848.
• Gold was discovered in California in 1848. This brought a huge influx of people from the east and other countries. Three million people moved to San Francisco in a little more than twenty years. 
• California needed a civil government quickly. Also, because of the rapidly increasing population, many felt that California should be able to skip the period of territorial status that other states had taken. California was granted statehood on Sept. 9, 1850.  

Flag of California

The bear flag was selected as the state flag of California on January 12, 1911. An excerpt from the Senate Bill No. 291 explains specifically what the flag was required to entail:

"The said bear flag shall consist of a flag of a length equal to one and one-half the width thereof; the upper five-sixths of the width thereof to be a white field, and the lower sixth of the width thereof to be a red stripe; there shall appear in the white field in the upper left-hand corner a single red star, and at the bottom of the white field the words 'California Republic,' and in the center of the white field a California grizzly bear upon a grass plat, in the position of walking toward the left of the said field; said bear shall be dark brown in color and in length, equal to one-third of the length of said flag."  

Facts About the State of California

Here are some interesting facts about California.  

• The name of California comes from a novel written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510. It was thought to be an island by Spanish explorers, so they named it after Queen Califia, who ruled the mythical island.  
• It is bordered by Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean. It is home to Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere (282 feet below sea level).
• California is nicknamed The Golden State, and its motto is, "Eureka."  Its state tree is the redwood, and the state mineral is, you guessed it, gold.