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The Opium War
"In spring 1839 the Chinese government confiscated and destroyed more than 20,000 chests of opium—some 1,400 tons of the drug—that were warehoused at Canton by British merchants"(britannica.org). “In 1839 when the Opium war between China and Great Britain broke out, Tao Chi’en was sixteen years old. At that point the country was overrun with beggars”(Allende 200). Allende told us why did Tao came to Chile. View of Canton with merchant ship of the Dutch East India Company(wikipedia.org) -
British colony arrive in Valparaiso
"Preserving British neutrality and trade largely fell to two Royal Navy squadrons ... in the spring of 1845, British officials braced for war"(cnrs-scrn.org). "And that was the state of things at the end of 1845 when the commercial maritime fleet of Great Britain assigned a chaplain in Valparaiso to attend to the spiritual needs of the Protestants"(Allende 76). At this time, in the book, Allende told us how religion was bought into Valparaiso. Capture of the Essex by Abel Bowen(Wikipedia) -
European Immigrant Arrived Chile
"The origin of the massive immigration of Germans (includes Poles due to Partitions of Poland) to Chile is found in the so-called "Law of Selective Immigration" of 1845"(familysearch.org). “The government is trying to improve the race by importing European immigrants. Did you know, Mr Todd, that in the south they are giving away land to colonists”(Allende 23)? In the book, Allende told us why so many immigrants were allowed to come in Chile in 1845. Photo collected by Wikipedia(wikipedia.org) -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Photo by ssc.wisc.edu)
Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. (www.archives.gov)
The yellow pellet that unleashed the madness was found nine days after the war between Mexico and the United States had ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. (145)
Through the treaty, Allende gives the context that Chileans were allowed to come to San Francisco for gold. -
Immigrants arrived in San Francisco (Photo by www.history.com)
"1849: America’s first anti-immigrant political party, the Know-Nothing Party forms, as a backlash to the increasing number of German and Irish immigrants settling in the United States."(www.history.com)
“Gold fever left no one unaffected: smiths, carpenters, teachers, doctors, soldiers, fugitives from the law…"(270)
Allende describes the desire for gold in San Francisco among various people. Many immigrants left their countries with an ambition to be rich, but not all of them were successful. -
Ice storms hit San Francisco
"The storms generated Sacramento’s first major flood, with great loss of livestock and property. After 165 years, the winter of 1850 still ranks as the 15th wettest in San Francisco since records began, with a total 33.10 inches of rain"(sierrasun.com)
"The last days of January 1850 witnessed one of the worst ice storms ever seen in those parts. No one dared leave shelter;..." (370)
Allende states "No one dared leave shelter" to express how cold it was.
Photo by www.sierrasun.com -
San Francisco becomes part of the new U.S. state of California
California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850.
(parks.ca.gov) "In September of 1850, Tao was present at the noisy patriotic celebration when California became the newest state in the union"(Allende, 386)
Allende explains this as a noisy patriotic celebration to make us feel the city's atmosphere at that time.
Photo by CA.gov -
San Francisco Population and Economy Booms
San Francisco in the parlance of 1850 meant the cluster of houses between Telegraph Hill and El Rincon. The Presidio was reduced to two dilapidated adobe buildings, in which was quartered a United States military company. (sfmuseum.org)
"By that time there were more than a hundred thousand argonauts in California..." (329)
By stating a hundred thousand argonauts Allende explains how the population in San Francisco increased.
photo by picturethis.museumca.org