Colonies
Hope this helps!! :)
The passage shows that Californian politics, and in particular, political advancement methods, were not wholly bound by law as they are now.
Governmental institutions and government control was weaker at that time, so it was difficult to enforce the law consistently. Because of it, people did not have a strong commitment to following legal paths for advancement. Revolutions and rebellions were more effective in seizing power than political campaigns, and there were few negative repercussions for those who chose that method.
International influence, also they had just defeated Spain when they begun having imperial ambitions, therefore they may want to fill that gap
