California Republic
The first Bear Flag
The California Republic (a.k.a. Bear Flag Republic), like the Republic of Texas, was created as the byproduct of increasing tensions between the United States and Mexico. Unlike the Republic of Texas, however, the California Republic was much shorter lived; it began on June 10, 1846 when John C. Frémont and his men in Sonoma declared independence from Mexico. The rebellion itself started on June 14.
The republic's first and only president was William Brown Ide. Its independence ended on July 9, 1846 when a U.S. Navy battleship, commanded by John D. Sloat, docked in Monterey, routed the detachment of the Mexican Coast Guard garrisoning the port in a minor skirmish (the Battle of Monterey), and alerted Frémont and his men that the Mexican-American War had begun. The "Bear Flaggers" joined the war effort and replaced their flag with the Stars and Stripes. Under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico formally surrendered its claim over the territory; the State of Califonia was admitted to the Union two years later.
The most significant legacy of the California Republic is California's state flag, which has a grizzly bear and the words "California Republic" near the bottom. This was the flag created by Frémont and his men; this led their actions to be dubbed the "Bear Flag Revolt".
See also: History of California