"California takes away our property,takes away our rights. That's a form of tyranny. If we govern ourselves,at least we're responsible to ourselves"
- Micheal Adams, 2014, Daily News.
- Micheal Adams, 2014, Daily News.
Impact
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Short Term:
The State of Jefferson movement was successful at attracting attention. Every single day in 1941 the San Francisco Chronicle, Del Norte Record, and Daily Alta California published an article about this brash new uprising. Members have also written letters to the state and federal government. Eventually some of the pressure these citizens applied led to some positive economic changes in Northern California, such as some of the state’s tax money supporting the paving of roads. Locals benefited from the newly paved roads, for example their vehicles were able to get out of the mud easily. This especially helped timber workers in this region, who struggled with unpaved roads when the Yreka Chamber of Commerce would chop down timber. Even given these benefits, most residents of this area still wanted independence from California and to chart their own political course. Even with all the political and economic momentum, this quest was cut short by world events. Tragically, December 7, 1941 was not only the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and started WWII, but also the day on which the dream of a real State of Jefferson in the 1940's ended. 
State of Jefferson flag, Unknown date, The source is Newsfeed
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Newspapers, in 1941, Siskiyou Daily News
Long Term:
Although the State of Jefferson has not yet been created, this movement is an example of the strong sense of local identity that characterizes Northern California. The State of Jefferson has not died yet to this day there a group of people who call themselves "Upstate California Campaign". Even today, there are State of Jefferson meetings, and the movement has followers who are still trying to secede. The continuing legacy of taking a stand is that many people still believe in having a State of Jefferson and they are trying to keep the idea alive. We should pay attention to this issue today because sometimes Northern California is still being forgotten by the government. For most Americans and even most Californians, the movement started by the Yreka Chamber of Commerce and is largely unknown. There aren’t that many people that know about the past and possible future of the State of Jefferson. The most surprising thing about this topic was that the Yreka Chamber of Commerce was going to announce the State of Jefferson on December 8th, 1941, but Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, 1941 which changed everything. Despite the obstacles, for many people in Northern California, this dream is worth keeping alive. Thomas Jefferson had written in 1802, “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” |
State of Jefferson meeting
Picture was taken on February 28, 2015.The source is Mountain Democrat. |
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” - Thomas Jefferson, unknown date, Brainy quotes.
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State of Jefferson map, circa 1930, the source is California Map Society
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