Fact check: Has California ever attempted to become independent before in history?

1. Summary of the results

California has made numerous attempts at both independence and internal partition throughout its history. The most notable historical attempt was the California Republic declared in 1846 during the Mexican-American War ^[1]. Since its admission to the Union in 1850, there have been at least 220 documented proposals to divide the state ^{[1] [2]}. More recently, the #CalExit movement gained prominence in 2016, inspired by Brexit, with approximately one-third of Californians supporting independence ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question overlooks several important distinctions:

• Types of Independence Attempts:
• Complete secession from the US (like the recent Calexit movement) ^[4]
• Internal partition into smaller states (like the 1855 California State Assembly plan to create states called Colorado and Shasta) ^[1]
• Regional separation (such as Southern California's attempts for separate statehood in the 1850s) ^[1]
• Legal Context:
• Modern secession attempts are considered legally impossible and constitutionally prohibited ^{[3] [5]}
• The 1859 Pico Act represented a formal legislative attempt to split California into two territories ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question's simplicity could lead to misunderstanding several key points:

• Timeline Complexity: Rather than a single historical attempt, California has experienced continuous efforts at various forms of division or independence, with at least six recent initiatives ^[5] and hundreds of historical proposals ^[1]
• Success Rate: While numerous attempts have been made, none have successfully resulted in California becoming independent or divided ^[4]
• Political Context: Modern independence movements like Calexit gained momentum specifically after political events like the 2016 presidential election ^[4], suggesting these efforts often arise from contemporary political dissatisfaction rather than purely regional interests