California - State Anthem of Love Quiz

Answer:

California, a powerhouse of economic activity, a source of pride for the nation, and the fastest state ever to be admitted to the union. What's not to love?

Well, the writers of the anthem thought that there was nothing but love to be had for their state as the 16 of the 23 lines of the song begin with "I love". A feat of repetition not even equaled by the Beatles.

California started, as most things west of the Mississippi did, as part of the Spanish empire/ Mexico. When the Americans invaded Mexico in 1846, they did nothing by halves, and had not only taken the parts of Mexico that we now call the USA, but gone all the way down and captured Mexico City (and therefore the country) itself. After much heated debate, the Americans decided not to take the whole country into the USA, but only the territory north of the Rio Grande. A treaty was signed on February 2nd, 1848 where Mexico ceded the desired land and thus the USA acquired California.

From its entrance to the USA under the treaty to statehood took exactly 950 days. This haste was not simply due to the manifest wish to go from "sea to shining sea" but was also driven by the slavery question and most importantly the discovery at Sutter's Mill of gold, creating the gold rush of 1849.

Since then, California has gone from strength to strength. It is home to Apple, Google, and Facebook and as of the early 21st century it is the world's largest sub-economy. It is the home of two of the largest influencers in the world, Hollywood and Disney. And it remains one of the more diverse places on the planet.

There is a lot to love about California, their song will tell you so. Written in 1913 by Silverwood and Frankenstein (!), the song celebrates the diversity of the state even back then. It has been performed at many notable venues, the most notable being on board the SS Ancon, the first merchant ship to sail through the Panama Canal.

"I Love You, California" became the official state song in 1951 and then was reconfirmed "by law" in 1987.

In a fitting tribute to the commercial powerhouse that is California, Jeep used the state anthem in car commercials in 2012.