Once upon a time, before i was a u. s. state, some of my people declared independence from mexico. they named me the 'bear flag republic.' what state am i?

California is your answer.

California, as well as most southern-west US (all the way to Texas) used to be under Mexico's rule, and following the Mexican-American War California was able to gain independence. This led to Californian's voting for and successfully joining the Union as a free state, and became part of the US.

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i dont know. sorry : (

i believe the answer to your question is b. pay your bills early