The American Journey © 2012

"California Spanish Missions"

Introduction
In this chapter you have read about the western movement of settlers in America in the mid-1800s. In California the Spanish founded the earliest settlements, a series of Catholic missions established to convert the Native Americans who already lived there. In this activity you will take a closer look at these missions and their original founder, Father Junipero Serra.

Destination Title: California Missions

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• Read the introduction.
• Scroll down to the mission map. Click on each mission to read about the history of each.
• Note the geographic location of each mission.

After you have read the information on the Web site answer the following questions.

1			When and where was the first Spanish mission founded in California, and who established it?
2			Read about the San Jose mission. How far apart were the missions located? Why?
3			What was unique about the founding of the mission at Santa Barbara?
4			What was distinctive about the founding of the mission at San Francisco?
5			On a large piece of paper, create a cause and effects chart for the following cause: Father Serra Arrives in California. Add all the effects that relate to that cause that you have read about on the Web site.