California Gold Rush Essay

California Gold Rush Essay
Prior to the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a meagerly populated, an irrelevant area of the
United States for the most part possessed by the general population of Mexico. In any case, that all
changed when on January 24, 1848; woodworker and little time sawmill administrator James W.
Marshall found a gold piece in the American River that would always show signs of change the
historical backdrop of California and America1. Not exclusively did the Gold Rush prompt
California 's permission into the Union in 1850, it additionally revived the possibility of the
American Dream. Hundred 's of thousands of individuals filled the state by the draw of brisk and
unending wealth. Because of the Gold Rush, California in the end turned into a ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Before long ships from Asia, Australia, Europe and South America were left stranded in the San
Francisco Bay as everybody looked to accomplish their own particular variant of the American
Dream in the Gold Rush also.
In the beginning periods of California 's state hood, gold mining was the cornerstone of the
Californian economy. Initially, numerous gold mineworkers who came to California were separated
of bigger mining organizations that at first conveyed association to the gold fields5. Regardless, as
the strain to discover gold mounted every day with the quantity of individuals coming to California
expanding, it soon turned into each man for himself; and therefore a considerable lot of these
associations fizzled. Nonetheless, the mining procedure was intricate, required bunches of labor, and
as gold was getting to be noticeably increasingly hard to discover; the prologue to certain
mechanical advances revived the Gold Rush and California as a state. The presentation of Hydraulic
mining by French Canadian, Anton Chabot in 1850 and later consummated by Edward Matteson a
49er from Connecticut, effectsly affected the mining business and in addition the environment6. By
damming waterway and streams mineworkers were currently ready to utilize the recently made
waterbeds for their modern hoses, which would splash water angrily onto the riverbanks
disintegrating the ground until the point that gold was
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

California Gold Rush Research
The California Gold Rush was a spectacular event in California's history. It occurred from 1848–
1855. Many, many people migrated to California to find the gold that was said to be there. This
changed California from a dreary and unpopulated place to a thriving and happy place to be. Not
everyone struck it rich, though, not even the person who discovered it, James W. Marshall.
California's motto, Eureka, is a reference to the Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush was a life–
changing event for many people and is still thought of today. California was unsettled until Mexico
gained its independence from Spain in 1824. After that, Mexico controlled California. Soon there
started to be trading in California (Alchin). Lewis and Clark were in California ... Show more
They stole and destroyed everything. Almost all of his employees at Sutter's Fort left to go obtain
the gold that was said to be at Sutter's Mill. In 1852, three years before the Gold Rush was over,
John Sutter went bankrupt. He then moved to a farm. In 1864 the California legislature gave him a
monthly pension, but then in 1865 arsonists demolished his house. In 1871 he was living in Lititz,
Pennsylvania. He was still poverty–stricken. He died on June 18, 1880 ("The Discovery of Gold in
California"). Consequently Gold Rush didn't affect James Marshall in a good way either. James had
helped run the sawmill with Sutter. When the news of the gold came out, all of the workers at the
sawmill stopped working to look for gold. He had a fair amount of misfortune because of this. He
was broke and was living wherever he could in California. He didn't even get legal recognition for
discovering the gold. He finally settled in one place, still not with much money to his name, and had
a small garden. He died in 1885 ("New Perspectives on the

The Oregon-California Gold Rush
Word eventually got out. On Friday May 12 Sam Brannan brought proof of gold to San Francisco
where he shouted "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!" (60). His motivation for sharing
the news was that he wanted to sell equipment to those who wanted to go on the hunt for gold.
Shortly after this, four thousand people were out looking for gold. Thus, many stores were empty
and newspapers were forced to shut down. The hunt for gold was thought to be a fever "Among
those who flocked to the gold were soldiers who abandoned their posts in pursuit of wealth." (61).
They were only making a mere six dollars while some of the gold miners were making over seventy.
One soldier even stated, "I had a violent attack of gold fever."(61). The thought of ... Show more
The journey to California was extremely difficult. The prices were extraordinary with some boat
tickets costing up to $450. There were also many trails traversed in a manner that lacked hygiene.
Thus, many either faced adversary or simply did not make it. Those who did not make it were most
likely harmed by the poor conditions or disease such as cholera along the Overland Trail in 1849.
Out of all the trails, "the Oregon–California Trial still proved the most popular overland route" (66).
It was estimated that over 100,000 travelers had used said trail by 1851. With the news of gold
spreading, many young Asians left to pursue gold. Manny Europeans also made their journey to
California. Between the years of 1847 and 1851, Irish immigration more than doubled. California
quickly became a melting pot of many races including: blacks, Hawaiians, Peruvians, Germans,
Mexicans, and the Chinese. Due to the many races represented in California, there were also many
languages and cultures. On February 2, 1848, in a 15 million dollar cash deal, the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed which added the land that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,
Nevada, and California occupy to the United States. The expansion in land lead to expansion in
other ways as well. In 1851, a survey showed "537 liquor stores, 46 gambling houses, and 48 houses
of prostitution" (69). One can clearly see there was a lot of money to be made. With so much money
on the line, people found ways to maximize their profits. With the same spirit, the Anglos forced
many people from the mines with violent threats. They would then tax those who remained. This tax
was in the form of a sixteen dollar a month foreign miner's tax. In an effort to make even more
money, "...the California legislature enacted another foreign miner's tax aimed specifically at the
Chinese..." (70).

The Gold Rush In California
The gold rush helped California industrialize. It is well known that industrialization in America
started in the east. However, the gold rush was the reason why California industrialized much faster
than the east. With the technological improvements, that the gold rush demands it helped California
industrialize much faster. James Marshall first discovered gold on January 24 1848 on the south fork
of the American river. A not so well know part of California history is that James Marshall was not
the first person to discover gold in California. Francisco Lopez was the first documented gold rush
in California. It is less know because right after Lopez had discovered gold the war between Mexico
and US had begun. Moreover, like everyone knows Mexico lost and lost California and other
territory to the US. After James Marshall had found gold and after everyone had started to hear the
news, few people started rushing to the minefields. The gold rush fever had not started yet because
many people were hesitant. It wasn't until president, President Polk at that time, confirmed that there
really was gold found in California after the announcement by Polk was heard. Massive amount of
people from all over the world rushed to California. States were not the first to hear about the news.
Actually, people in Hawaii were the first to find out. As trading ships were leaving the San
Francisco port on their trips across the pacific. Was when the Hawaii found out about the news?
When the states

Essay On California Gold Rush
Introduction
Suddenly the population grew, gold fever was starting. everyone came to creeks, streams, and rivers
to pan for gold. They left their normal lives to become rich. They would camp for days, weeks, or
even months in tents and they would bring very little supplies. They would mine until they were
successful with finding gold. This was the California Gold Rush. Let's see how it all began and
grew.
The Start
James Marshall was working in a saw mill and he saw something shining in the water, it was a
discovery of gold. According to history.com, gold rush "A total of $2 billion worth of precious
metals was found."Many people started to come for the gold, but James and his friend wanted to
keep it a secret this is what James Marshall said to John Sutter " in a private room, he showed me
the first specimen of gold, that he was not certain if it was gold or not, but he thought it might be;
imminently I made the proof and found that it was gold–John Sutter–. They could be richer than
anyone in America. This makes me think that James should have not told anyone so the word
wouldn't spread at all
The word spread and gold miners called the 49ers mined for gold. Before the gold one year earlier
there were only 800 people, then the year ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One year later in 1850 the gold was running out. The people would be lucky to find any gold, that
was a problem. There was not a solution to this. There was no more gold on the surface. All over the
world, people would come for the gold in certain spots in California. They would make towns called
boom towns and then they would lose gold and then be deserted. If I were in America at that time I
would go to a different state to look for gold. The Chinese had the largest immigration to America,
which made America's population grew fast because of the california gold rush,the most populated
state in america. According to

The Discovery Of The California Gold Rush
The discovery of the California Gold Rush took place by chance. Mainly the amount of the world's
gold is deep underground and embedded in hard rock. Unlike anywhere else in the world at that
time the gold in California was simple to dig up, free for the taking and required little tools to
acquire any gold. Only things required: a pick or shovel and a pan to shift out the gold from the
rock, sand and debris. The Gold Rush affected not only California, but the outcome of the nation.
Creating the expansion of our nation into Western America and California. Hundreds of thousand
Americans and foreigners moved toward the Sierra Nevada's, with the hopes of sticking it rich.
Which impacted the social life and the economy, while effected the rest of the country. Producing a
number of diverse people seeking to make a fortune, influenced California and the American life.
Gold found in California starting the Gold Rush, happened to not be the first discovery of gold in
there. "But gold had been found in 1843 near the Mission San Fernando in Southern California".
Although this discovery did not spark much attention, reason being. At that the time the country was
under Mexican rule. " The great California gold rush began on January 24,1848, when James W.
Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River while constructing a sawmill for John
Sutter, a Sacramento agriculturalist". Discovery of this gold generated the Gold Rush, which is one
of the most significant events that

Essay on California Gold Rush
There have been many discoveries that have shaped our nation as a whole. Discoveries have
allowed our country to thrive and become one of the most powerful nations in the world. When we
look back at our nation's rich history, it is clear to see that there was one discovery in particular that
had a vast impact on the United States; the discovery was gold in California. It was in this vastly
unoccupied territory that the American dream was forever changed and California emerged as a
powerful state busting at the seams. The California Gold Rush shaped California into the state that it
is today. California is defined by its promise of entrepreneurial success and its acceptance and
encouragement of obtaining the American Dream.
During the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As the years went on, more and more Americans began moving to California. Sutter was enthused
and saw them as opportunities to enhance his kingdom. Sutter had no idea that this was just a
glimpse of the migration that was soon to come. Encouraged by the skill level of the new
Americans, Sutter decided to become a mill and lumberman. Now, he just had to find the right
location and a talented craftsman.
In 1845 a man by the name of James Marshall moved to California. He was a carpenter who
excelled at all things mechanical. However, similar to Sutter, he had never had great success on his
own ventures. Marshall knew that Sutter was looking for a site to build a mill, so he set forth to
discover the perfect location. He traveled forty–five miles away from the fort and discovered a
valley that appeared to be the perfect location. He knew that the spot could produce enough water
power to power the mill, and it had ample amounts of timber located in close proximity. Sutter
inspected the site, approved it, and began a partnership with Marshall on August 27, 1847. The work
began on the mill and Marshall continued to oversee the site.
On the morning of January 24, as was his custom, Marshall walked down to inspect the tailrace.
Well down it, about 200 feet from the mill, he chanced to se a glittering particle lodged on the
bedrock of the channel. He saw more, some mere flakes and others as large as a grain of wheat. He
collected these

The California Gold Rush
Thesis
The gold rush made California a commercial assemble and draws a lot of attention around the globe
by forming multicultural communities that still exist today. The huge amount of travelers from the
world largely regenerate the economy of the Pacific Northwest and brought wealth to North
America. However, in other perspectives, it was also a terrible loss to human life. The harsh
conditions in Alaska have led to hundreds of prospectors being killed and the severe diseases they
carried decimated the native people. Furthermore, the gold rush reflects how terrible consequences
greediness can cause when profit reaches 100%.
Gold Rush of 1849
Population shift causes multicultural communities that still exist today
California became a diverse ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
People open stores for the people who immigrate to seek better wealth. However, the local supply
couldn't provide a diversified market for the local industry, the inelastic demand and high
consumption power stimulated the growth of the vertical integration simultaneously.
Vertical integration refers to an strategy where a company expand its business operations into
several steps but on the same production, in other words, the company owns the distributor/supply
chain.
What is good about the vertical integration is that vertical integration can help enterprises reduce
costs and improve efficiencies by reducing transportation expanses and turnaround time.
Sometimes, however, a company relies on existing expertise and economics scale of other vendors
rather than vertical integration since they are more effective and practical.
The rise of consumption power
The increase of active transportation within the country
Lack of diversification of local market supply
Examples of commercial assemble:
Shovel Store near the diggings that sold digging tools with expensive

Mexican California In The Gold Rush
Mexican California in the Gold Rush
Moe Bamdad
San José State University
October 29, 2014
During the last half of the 19th century, relations between the United States and Mexico were just
beginning to come together after ending the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). On January 24,
1848, James Marshall discovered gold along the American River, in Sutter's Mill, California. Less
than two weeks later on February 4, 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and would
mark the end of the Mexican–American War. Under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe–Hidalgo,
the Republic of Mexico ceded to the United States more than one–third of its valuable land,
including California. Californios, the people of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Job opportunities were limited for the Californios, especially during the gold rush period. But for
the Mexicans with mining experience before the California gold rush, and were occasionally hired
by wealthy Americans to mine gold for them. Aside from mining, the rancheros' leading financial
source was their cattle and sheep traded or sold as food and hides. With the sudden burst of gold
prospectors and miners, the population in northern California was overwhelming for some
Californios, and economically beneficial for other Californios and

Gold Rush In California
Thomas Fuller once said "we never know the worth of water till the well is dry" (Fuller). As a
species we need water to cook, clean, and most importantly live. With water being a natural
resource overuse and misuses of it can cause its supply to rapidly dwindle down, and that's exactly
what's happening in California right now. California's water comes a married of places such as
aquifers, groundwater, surface water, rivers, reservoirs, dams and irrigation systems where 80% of
that water goes towards agriculture and 20% to urban/residential use. California's water supply is so
substandard that the state can't even say their predicament is a drought, but it can be classified as a
crisis. And to add insult to injury the states infrastructure has ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In 1906 President Roosevelt had granted the city a permit to "divert water from the Owens River
Valley [which was a fairly new] reservoir [located] in the San Fernando Valley" (Wells and Blake).
That permit led to behind the scene meetings with the city's mayor and other leading LA capitalists
where they were using the water from the San Fernando Valley for personal gain and to fatten their
wallets by "[bolstering] real estate speculation and [irrigating] vast new acreage of farmland" (Wells
and Blake). Los Angles wasn't the only city in the state where convoluted dealings were happening,
in San Francisco for thirty years capitalist were redirecting water from the Tuolumne River. In
addition to that for ten years naturalist John Muir protested against the states choice to the
eradication of the Hetch Hetchy valley. Muir's efforts were for not because in 1913 President Wilson
signed the Raker Act which permitted dam construction. The Raker Act did disclose that selling any
electrical power that was "generated from the dam to any corporation or individual" (Wells and
Blake) was against the law, and forgoing the law most of the power that the dam did generate was
sold to the utilities company of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). And by the end of the 1940's, "San
Francisco was selling

The California Gold Rush Essay
The California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush was the biggest and the richest of them all, but
it was no different from any of those that followed in providing the majority of its participants with
much rushing and little gold. When forty–niners reminisced through beards grown longer and
whiter, the strikes of the past became richer and the nuggets bigger, but the mournful truth is that
most gold hunters would have done better financially staying at home and been considerably more
comfortable. Let there be no misunderstanding, though the gold across the Sierra Nevada was rich
beyond belief, and many miners made strikes that deserve the adjective "fabulous." It was just that
there was not ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He let it run all night to wash the race clean of debris; the next morning, January 24, 1848, he saw
yellow specks glinting through the running water, and the famous discovery was made. Sutter was
deeply disturbed by the finding of the metal; gold and the pastoral serenity oh his pleasant empire
were incompatible, and he had a foreboding of things to come–––although the results were to be
more devastating than he could possibly have imagined: his cattle butchered, his fields trampled and
untended, his land taken by squatters, until he had not a thing left. At the moment all he could do
was ask the men at the mill to keep the secret for another six weeks, so that his ranch workers would
not desert him to dig gold before spring planting was done. The men at the mill did not leave, but
continued to work as before, panning for gold only on Sunday, until the sawmill was finished in
March. So far, the discovery had produced no gold fever at the scene, nor did it do so farther a field.
The news began trickling into San Francisco within two or three weeks (Sutter's request for six
weeks of secrecy had been ignored), carried by letter and by word of mouth. Both of the town's two
newspapers duly reported the discovery, but no one became excited. The people of San
Francisco–––there were 850 or 900

Gold: The Rise Of Gold In The California Gold Rush
Many folks that live in a dusty small town whoop and holler as they get ready to head out across a
vast prairie in wagons that are in groups of four, while others load up all their belongings, and head
towards the ships that will take them across stormy waters, and windy seas. These people are all
heading out of town for the same reason, to find gold. The California Gold Rush was a time for
success, glory, and of course gold. That is what most people believed considering it was a
treacherous and extremely long journey to reach California and get gold that might not be found.
During the beginning of the California Gold Rush, numerous people had the opportunity to strike
gold and become extremely wealthy, but they had to undergo the challenges ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
First " Getting to the mining areas was difficult; there was no housing, disease was rampant, and
food and gear prices were astronomically high." (Gillis 11). With high priced gear, food and rampant
diseases spreading many miners weren't successful. Many miners encountered hard times when
arriving in California, some unlucky miners worked for other men's operations. A main problem for
many miners was they couldn't afford to return home. When most miners were unsuccessful they
worked for different operations to try and find gold because many couldn't afford to return home.
Lastly While suffering from loneliness there was violence, lawlessness, and meanness during the
time when men arrived in California to mine whippings and hangings were also common in the law
and order of the gold rush. With violence incorporated with the sleepless nights and lack of
resources and supplies it was hard for many miners to make it considering they couldn't afford to
make it home. With a difficult start to things times were extremely tough when miners arrived in
California.
Traveling by land, traveling by sea, and facing the challenges of arriving in California were only
some of the brutal problems people had to deal with during the California Gold Rush. Many people
believe the gold rush and it's fictional stories about hitting it rich and don't focus on the truth about
the grit, pain, and hardship thousands of people had to go through to get

California Gold Rush
When people hear the term gold rush it is automatically associated with California. The first, gold
rush was in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. This was a tremendous impact due to people rushing
to the Carolina's mountains. People flocked from all neighboring states to strike rich. The second,
was in Georgia a three ounce nugget was found. Miners began to search in every cave for gold. The
third, gold rush was in California. Flakes of gold were found in the Sacramento Valley. The
population expanded to 100,000. Locals benefited from the mast flock of miners. People have
always been fascinated with gold and people are still searching for gold.
First of all, in 1799, a young man from a local farming family found a shining rock along the Little
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Harvard University states," The population grew from 1,000 in 1848 to over 20,000 by 1850"
(Harvard). Most of the people who were eager to make the long trip to California left their families
behind. Most of the miners mortgaged their homes and also borrowed money to pursuit their dreams
to strike it rich. The women were left behind to work on the land and to take care of their children.
Thousands of people rushed to California and known as the 49's. A very small amount of women
were able to travel along with their husbands. Many of them spent their entire live savings to make
the journey. The influx of miners came from all over the United States. The news was also heard all
over the world and migrants from Peru, Panama, and as far as China traveled in ships to achieve
their destination. At first there were only two ways to reach California. Many endured the six
months long trip to California. One way was the Oregon–Trail and the second was through ships.
People who lived on the east coast of the United States chose the Oregon Trail and it was a harsh
journey. The constant fear due to hostile territory and also the illnesses caused a great deal of stress
for them and the wear and tear of their wagons. The other way people traveled sea using ships and
this was also a six months trip. They had to travel all the way down South America and turn up to
California. Either way

The California Gold Rush Essay
The California Gold Rush of 1849 is one of the most interesting and exiting events of the United
States. From the wild stories of men striking it big, to the heart wrenching tales of people losing
everything, these are what make it so alluring. There are many aspects of the California Gold Rush;
effects on California; individual stories of struggle; and effects on the United States as a young
country looking for stability. San Francisco was a small town of a few hundred people in 1840, but
by 1850 it was a huge city whose economy was injected with gold money. This rapid growth and
development was brought on by an accidental discovery by James Marshall. "I reached my hand
down and picked it up; it made my ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In 1849, California was a rather uncivilized place, especially San Francisco. Miner's came from
every where to try to find their fortune, but most fortunes weren't made mining gold, they were
made because of mining. Sam Brannan was one such man who made his fortune this way. Brannan
bought every shovel, pan, and every other mining related tool he could in the region. A twenty–cent
metal pan now became a fifteen–dollar pan, and the only place to buy them was from Sam Bannan.
Levi Strauss, a tailor who happened to have very popular canvas pants made his fortune from the
Gold Rush. Phillip Armour, of Armour Meat packing company, and John Studebaker just to name a
couple more. Unfortunately, not everybody could get rich, for every one person that struck it big;
there were thousands that didn't. It is not uncommon to hear stories of men leaving their wife, kids
and family, with promises to return in one year with enough money to never have to work again,
they never met their promises. As the gold got more sparse men who hadn't found what they were
looking for turned to gambling, drinking, and crime. "I take this opportunity of writing these few
lines to you hoping to find you in good health. Me and Charley is sentenced to be hung at five
o'clock for a robbery. Give my best to Frank and Sam." Also as the gold ran out, it took different
methods to find it, many of these methods have left permanent scars on California's landscape.

History Of The California Gold Rush
The Gold Rush was a time in history when gold was found in California and people from all over
the United States and the world came looking for gold. The year was 1849, the men looking for gold
were called the 49ers. They used many different devices to find gold such as pic–axes and buckets
etcetera.
It was a regular day in September and the town mayor hired James W. Marshall to build a sawmill
for the town. He did his job and then he saw something shiny in the water. He picked it up and
thought it was gold. He brought it to a gold checker to see if it is real gold and the person said that it
looks like real gold. The word got around in California, then it went out to our country, after that the
whole world knew. The state had an estimate

History Of The California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was an extraordinary event that made everyone crazy for gold. This event
took place in Coloma, California. When storekeeper, James Marshall, found gold at John A. Sutter's
Sutter Mill on January 24, 1848. He discovered that the rivers were filled with gold and tried to keep
the secret to himself. People soon grew suspicious of the man so they took a trip to the sawmill. The
men who when to the sawmill came back with gold dust. Once they heard that someone had found
gold anyone was desperate for gold. From that point on the race for gold was on. People looked
wherever they could in hopes of finding gold. Men would depart to search for gold, which left
numerous amounts of women to do the work their husbands would leave.

Gold Nuggest in Gold Rush California
Gold Nuggets in Gold Rush California It was day of Jan 24th 1948, James Marshall was building a
new sawmill for John Sutter in South Fork of American river near Coloma valley.He spotted some
flecks of shiny pebbles.His eyes sparkled when he discovered that it was gold. "Gold! Gold! Gold!
Listen folks, it is not just a hoax!" Get rich and get "relaxed" in the goldfields of California. You
could be another millionaire like Sam Brannan! Everyone from around the world is welcomed to
flock to California. It is never late to head start your voyage to the Golden state. This is the right
time to make your dreams come true. Modes of Transportation By Land The land route is across the
Great Plains along the Oregon Trail or across the continental United States, mainly along the
California trail. You can come by wagon or come by foot. By wagon, oxen and mules, you have to
cross deserts, mountains, and valleys. The advantage is that you can carry your clothes, food for
long journey, tools for mining and farming, and items for cooking. You You will have a great
adventure! Coming by foot is long but if you need fitness then this is your call! By Sea There are
two water routes to California. A 17,000 mile route around the South America and Cape Horn took 5
to 7 months. The second and faster route is to take a steamer to Panama, along a narrow isthmus to
the Pacific, and then take another steamer to San Francisco. This route is

California Gold Rush Report
"Gold! Gold! Gold! California Gold Region Seems Inexhaustible!" – was the headline of many
newspapers during the California Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848
when James Marshall discovered gold while building a water powered mill for John Sutter at
Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. Marshall spotted the piece of gold coming down the mill's trail
race and went to tell John Sutter about it. Sutter stated in an entry entitled "The Discovery of Gold
in California", "In a private room he showed me the first specimens of gold, that is he was not
certain if it was gold or not, but he thought it might be; immediately I made the proof and found that
it was gold." Marshall and Sutter attempted to keep the discovery of gold ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The news of the discovery of gold spread quickly to every corner of the world, and people gradually
started to come to California from groups of dozens to ten thousands. J.S. Holiday in his book Rush
for Riches described the migration of the people as, "For years thereafter, gold seekers by the hard
to count thousands pushed ashore at California's suddenly famous city" (83). Because population of
California had grown excessively, California began to develop. New towns, roads, churches, and
schools sprung up. William Weber Johnson wrote in his informative book The Forty–Niners"A
potential town was born when a prospector squatting at a wilderness stream washed out a pan full of
gold bearing dirt...A full community of gold–hungry campers soon appeared" (114). In some towns,
the word city was added to because of its number of inhabitants, and even the capital was moved
from Monterey to San Francisco. In addition, Liza Ketchum said in her book The Gold Rush,
"California's growing population pressured Congress for a transcontinental railroad" (103). The
transcontinental railroad connected California to all the other states reaching to the East Coast.
Moreover, the population had enlarged to a great extent that it only took a year for California to be
admitted as the 31st state. California applied to enter the Union in 1849 and became a state in
1850.The gold rush caused a major boom in the population. William Weber Johnson summarized
the increase in population in his book, "During those half dozen years the momentum of the gold
rush had drawn more than a quarter of a million people... in contrast with the mere 14,000 that had
settled before the discovery of gold"

The California Gold Rush was a spectacular event in California's history. It occurred from 1848–
1855. Many people migrated to California to find the gold that was said to be there. This changed
California from a dreary and unpopulated place to a thriving and happy place to be. Not everyone
struck it rich, though, not even the person who discovered it, James W. Marshall. California's motto,
Eureka, is a reference to the Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush was a life–changing event for
many people and is still thought of today. California was unsettled until Mexico gained its
independence from Spain in 1824. After that, Mexico controlled California. Soon after, trading
began in California (Alchin). Lewis and Clark were in California before the Gold Rush happened,
during their expedition. While in California, they discovered a new plant called the California
Rhododendron ("Lewis and Clark"). American Indians were in California during this time as well.
They were not treated well by any means during the 1800s. When the Gold Rush did happen, they
participated in the mining. Then the whites started using them for labor in the mines after seeing
how hard they could work (Alchin). James W. Marshall was born in 1810 in New Jersey. His parents
were Philip Marshall and Sarah Wilson. He had three other siblings and he was the oldest and only
boy. All of his siblings were girls. In 1816 James' dad had five acres of land and built a house on it.
James was a carpenter and repaired wood

Gold Rush! Gold had been found about a year ago near Sacramento! I hope to find some in these
months up ahead, so I can have a fortune and live the rich life with everything I could wish for! But
for now, I have to stick to my trusty pan and sifter to work with me to achieve this dream. In the
camp that I'm staying at, there are a lot of different cultures because of the immigration to find the
gold by being prospectors, so the camp is mostly made up of young, able–bodied men. The food and
supplies here are priced exorbitantly because of the amount of gold here. Just a loaf of bread cost
almost a dollar! Luckily, I have brought along supplies from back East, so I can sell supplies as well
to collect money to buy mining equipment to find some

The Gold Rush Of California
On January 24, 1848 John W. Marshall discovered gold in California, which set its foundation for
California's future success. The Gold Rush gave California's popular motto of, "Eureka" meaning
"I've found it." Also, the Gold Rush drew attention to California drawing cultures from around the
world to seek better opportunities and make a greater extent of money than they would ever come
across. This created California's population to experience an influx during the 1840's. Although it
increased population in California, there were difficulties and problems with encounters between the
Chinese immigrants, the rich, and miners that resulted in social conflict. As the Gold Rush struck
California, people around the globe saw this as a way for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
( ) Once the men arrived arrived in California with the thought of striking rich, it deteriorated as
they lost connection with their families, difficult to earn money, and the rough environment to live
in. ( ) Once the Chinese realized that mining was not easy they had difficulties to provide for their
families back in China and for themselves. Mining was more challenging than they ideally
generalized yet the lack of money did not supersede their dream of becoming wealthy. The
American Dream of success and happiness during the Gold Rush started to fade away for the
Chinese immigrants as striking rich overnight was not easy as they thought. The land of gold did not
welcome them on account of the white men excluding them. Chinese men were unaccompanied and
abandoned in a dissimilar area than what they were accustomed to, yet alone did not have any
communication with their families and relatives. Nevertheless, these complications that they
encountered did not stop the Chinese to pursuing their dream. The Chinese were very passionate
workers, even if it was arduous to work as a miner. They found alternative approaches on their
burdensome lifestyle, such as constructing railroads, being laundrymen, and becoming servants for
the rich ( ).These Chinese men experienced abundant ways of living even if it was very difficult for
them just so they can live and provide for their families. They had life threatening jobs such

The Gold Rush Of California
Gold is a very precious metal that with in any community is pressed very highly. To a surprise to
several, after the United States won California from Mexico. A land owner had found several pieces
of gold along the river bed of the San Francisco. Circumstances lead to this land owner not wanting
to reveal this information to the world. Nevertheless, the information was spread so began the Gold
Rush in California. This magnificent event gave light to great change but was it the right move for
progress and growth for the new founded country the United States. Growth in my eyes is defined as
the increase of wealth among all the population that is living in a general area. Wealth should be
defined as in a way where a family can live with good ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However the turning point was the way the environment was being effected by the means of
destroying the land to get to the gold dug into the ground. Over all the gold rush was looked at as a
great passage in the right direction for developing a modern world but it ended up leading us back,
words, back into an era where monarchy rules the world. The daily life of a miner was far from
perfect. The way the papers and other means of propaganda had portrayed getting rich quick, but it
was far from easy. All the equipment that was needed to start out as a miner was for the most part
outrageous. The earning wages from gold was" sixteen dollars an ounce" pg.8. Even so, the work
was backbreaking. There was swarms of minors trying to get rich quick. To many miners that
traveled to get a piece of the precious metal they where resorted to taking land from previous land
owner just to get ahead in the Gold Rush. Not to mention that the living conditions where also
outrageous. The "rentals of hotels and other business structures, whether of boards or of canvas,
reached even dizzier heights than did commodity prices" pg.8. This spaces where set prices at 3,000
dollars a month or 40,000 dollars for a year, there was also other prices around the area of San
Francisco. And in some cases miners where resorted to living in a room filled to the brim with other
miners. This lead to very poor conditions for any one to live in. But nothing was better then being
rich in a few months or

The California Gold Rush was an event that lasted from January 24th, 1848 to 1855. The event was
driven mainly by the large quantities of gold reserves that were discovered in the soon to be US
state of California. This event caused many Americans to move from the eastern states and middle
states to California with the hopes of finding gold. In this paper, I will analyze the economy at the
time the gold rush started and attempt to answer the question of why individuals found it necessary
or advantageous to move out to California in pursuit of gold. I will also consider personal accounts
and editorials written to gain a more personal narrative of the conditions people were experiencing
as well as their mindsets in deciding whether to move to California for the gold or not. First, I would
like to consider the economic theory behind the gold rush and explain why on the surface; it is quite
simple. Consider a modern theoretical case. Say a family of four is living in Cincinnati, Ohio and
the main earner of the family works for a tool manufacturing company in Cincinnati. Suppose that
the company decides during their yearly employee reviews that they aren't going to give this certain
individual a pay raise for the next year; also suppose that the employee does not see themselves
climbing up the pay scale any further. Now suppose that this person is offered a thirty thousand
dollar per year raise if they move out to Los Angeles, California for a new machine related job.
Assuming

California Gold Rush Analysis
Many still tell the stories about the old west. These tales of the gold rush with gold nuggets the size
of boulders, visions of the railroad cutting across the continent with civilization nipping at it heels,
epic battles between settlers, soldiers, and Indians, or tales of cowboys, bandits and shootouts
continue to capture the imagination of the young and old alike. Most of these fantasies boast of the
riches any man could accrue, and of boundless opportunity for anyone willing to leave everything
behind to seek their destiny. Sadly many of these stories could not be further from the truth. The real
story of the west is one of misrepresentation, greed, exploitation, and racism. The Indian Wars
provide some of the most exaggerated and distorted ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As more Whites joined the ranks of cowboys and cattlemen in the west, their racism came with
them. Much like in the mining regions of California Whites formed unions excluding minorities.
Many minorities were in fact highly superior to their White counterparts yet nearly always found
themselves working underneath these same Whites. Most capable minorities would never get the
promotions they deserved or the investment to form their own outfit (Hine). In the northern plains
cattlemen would trespass on Indian reservations, allowing their cattle to graze on Indian lands.
When selling to Indians, cattlemen would cheat them by tampering with scales, manipulating the
books so it appeared that Indians were getting their allotment, and selling the animal based on pre
winter bulk weight and not accounting for loss during the winter (Sanderson). As with most other
things American, the cattle industry was profitable if one was

California Gold Rush of 1848
California Gold Rush of 1848 The California Gold Rush happened January 24th, 1848. James
Wilson Marshall was working one day as usual when he seen a shine from the "icy winter water."
He thought it was just a trick of the California sun. Becoming Anxious he then went to go check it
out, he found five shiny nuggets. Marshall went back to his station and hammered the nuggets
changing its shape but not breaking it, he found gold. The founding of gold by Marshall brought
prospectors, immigrants, and new technology to what would be known as the Golden State. People
were searching for wealth going crazy trying to found gold. Before the discovery of Gold in 1848,
the majority of the West did not even belong to the United States. Scientists believe it was a form of
the manifest destiny. Before then they didn't even know gold existed. Very few people made money
for finding the gold, they were also told that if they didn't find any gold it was failure, and failure is
a terrible sin.
New immigrants that came to the Golden State were often mistreated. They usually only mistreated
Asians. They were also killing each other to take others gold in the mines. The killing lead to more
people coming. The workers finding the gold were not getting payed the way they should have. The
Gold Rush impacted California's landscape by more farming, mines, even funnels were built. While
needing more money the miners decided to grow and sell wheat from inside of the mines for three
dollars per

California Gold Rush Outline
Topic: California Gold Rush
Question: Why was the Gold Rush in California so important for people to support their economy?
And how did the people deal with the over population?
Thesis: The gold rush for people that everyone wanted to have that support to supply the economy
and that the overpopulation was the difficult part to disband form all of the gold... The gold rush and
the people wanted to find faster way to be rich but when california had found gold, the people went
to find gold as well to get rich and then return to their home with their wealth in hand. Every
amount of gold was brought the people from different businesses came to get even more richer than
they should be. This would cause the people to have them ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
It is hard to find better jobs and that having gold was their only way to have their second chance.
But it wasn't a good luck day for the miners, they all wanted to dig because the gold was free to
everyone and that no one could stop someone taking most of the gold. It felt like it was spiking up
the rich type and that it was taking and finding a way to get the rich. The more people discovered
about the gold the more people wanted to get the gold. So everybody including immigrants would
come to California have made the population by 80,000 people. At first we could pick up gold but
later we would have to use pans to get the gold out of the ground. It felt like the people after the
gold had forgotten what was important to them and they were all filled with greed to fulfil what they
want to be rich. As if the people had forgotten on what was the best thing for them was the gold and
power to have a bigger or better business to them and get even more rich and that it could lead them
down to a path of power and greed that they can forget all of the compassion and kindness that they
had and that they lose what that person was. As someone can see that it did help California become
a state in the U.S. But California didn't become an actual state until the time of 1850. But when the
gold was there it doesn't mean that there was a lot of it there is

A Gold Rush is a new discovery of gold sometimes occupied by other precious metals and rare earth
minerals that brings an onrush of minor seeking their Fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the
19th century in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States while
smaller gold rushes to place elsewhere. The welfare result English tribute Wiley because of reduced
migration causes and low barriers to entry. While gold mining itself was unprofitable for most acres
and mine owners some people made large large Fortunes in the merchants and transportation faculty
made large profits. The results in increase in the world's gold Supply stimulated global trade and
investment. Historians have written extensively about the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Has the miners dig down they may find that the deeper part of vein contains gold locked in sulfide
or per ride minerals which will require smelting. If Laura is still sufficiently rich and maybe
worshipping to a distant smelter. Laura gray Dora may require on–site treatment to either recover
the gold or to produce a constant rate sufficiently Rich for transport to the smelter. As a district turns
to lower grade or the mining may change from underground mining to large open pit mining. Mini
silver silver rushes followed up on gold rushes and transportation and infrastructure and improve the
focus may change progressively from gold to Silver to base metals. In this way Colorado started as a
pleasure go Discovery achieved Fame as a silver mining District then relayed on LED and sink and
it's later days. There is gold rushes occurred in Australia over the second half of the 19th century.
The most significant of these although not the only ones were the New South Wales gold rush in
Victorian gold rushes in 1851 and the Western Australian Gold rushes from the 1890s. They were
highly significant to the respective colonies political and economic development as they brought a
large number of immigrants and promoted massive government spending on in fractures to support
the new arrivals who came looking for gold. Well some found their

The Gold Rush On California
The effect of the Gold Rush on the Californians. Gold in California was incidental discovered near
an American stream that would change the young creating state. All finished America, youthful
colleagues settled on the decision to go to California. People started from Europe, Asia, and South
America searching for minute wealth. The new American dream was to get rich, and to make a
fortune quickly. (Mill operator 151) In 1839, one of the wealthiest people in California came over as
an outcast from Sweden; his name was John Sutter. His inspiration of coming to California was to
build his own specific private agrarian space. In late 1847, James Marshall and around twenty other
men were sent to a stream by Sutter to manufacture a sawmill. With a particular ultimate objective
to supply enough wood required for Sutter's ranch. On January 24, 1848 the sawmill was essentially
whole when something stood out enough to be noticed. Marshall got what he thought to be gold,
and remembering that think the gold he saw another piece. In the wake of making extraordinary
compared to other discovers, Marshall and his worker retreated to work, notwithstanding it was not
a little while later that they kept finding more gold. (Glass 45–47) Even however Marshall was sure
that he had found gold, he required more confirmation, so Marshall to back some gold to Sutter.
Remembering the ultimate objective to test the gold Sutter used a reference book that gave him hints
about gold. Sutter made the

California, the place to turn cant's into can's and dreams into plans. The same situation and scenarios
apply to today and even over one hundred and sixty five years ago. Then and now are not so
different, people are thriving or failing from the land of plenty, supplying themselves with
knowledge, wealth, or skill to either spread their wings and take flight or crash and burn. Each state
in the United States of America has a correlating nickname to either why it's famous or an
explanation of its history. California's state name is The Golden State, and going all the way back to
1849 is why this was such an influential time for California and all of America. This is the period of
the Gold Rush. Reasons why this event was so impeccable, to the development of California, are the
years leading up to the discovery, the first findings, the journey, and so much more. Americans,
inspired by the idea of manifest destiny meaning it was their God given right to rule the entire,
mass, amount of land from ocean to ocean. Thanks to this vision it quickly sent current land
occupiers, Californios or Mexico, and the United States in two completely different directions. In
1846, Mexican soldiers rose up against United States forces. On May 31, 1846 President James K.
Polk declared war. A small California Republic, The Bear Flag Revolt, seized Sonoma for naval
forces to occupy in hopes of wining the war. The Mexican War didn't bring about much fighting just
a hot potato game of territory

California Gold Rush 1849
The California Gold Rush, 1849 http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm The
gold rush of 1848 was a journey of dreams. Thousands left their families behind to seek a better,
more financially secure life. A time so long ago that what we learn about it today is mostly from
history books. But then one day you are lucky enough to come across something as simple as a
letter. This letter is a small bit of history that opens up a window into the life and journey of a gold
seeker. When I came across this article it really struck a bit of curiosity within me. What must it of
been like to leave everyone you love behind, to try and seek a better life? Mr. Sheldon Shufelt is just
such a person, a man that in 1950 wrote a letter

The California Gold Rush : Daily Life During The...
Forty–Niners. A popular term that was emphasized during the time of the California Gold Rush
which referred to immigrants who were traveling to the west. The immigrants were considered
"forty–niners" because they began to arrive in the year of 1849. In his book Daily Life during the
California Gold Rush Thomas Maxwell–Long notes that, "California is nicknamed "The Golden
State;" and the official state motto is "Eureka" meaning "I have found it" in Greek– a reference to
mining success" (Maxwell–Long 1). The California Gold Rush is the most well–known and largest
mass migration that occurred in the history of America during the middle of the 18th century. The
people who migrated to California went in having strict thoughts that the new American dream was
to get rich and be fortunate from the gold they were in search of, however, that generally was not the
case. In addition, the Gold Rush created a huge economic impact in the state of California which,
ultimately, resulted in a range of environmentally destructive practices.
The commencement of the California Gold Rush was on January 24th, 1848 and ceased in the year
of 1855. The Gold Rush migration began when James W. Marshall, originally a sawmill operator,
discovered a piece of gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. Initially, he was at the sight trying
to build a sawmill. Furthermore, within just one year, the mass migration quickly began to grow.
The mass migration brought approximately three hundred thousand people across state borders and
from abroad to locate the gold that was discovered at Sutter's Mill. There was a diverse amount of
people that migrated to California in search of the mysterious gold, which included; young
American men, people from South America, Europe, and some other countries. As the news quickly
dispersed throughout the United States, the mass migration generated more than seven hundred and
fifty thousand pounds of gold from the time the California Gold Rush began and ended. The
California Gold Rush did not reach its peak until 1849, however; miners still collected roughly one
hundred thousand pounds of gold each year. Overall, between the few years the Gold Rush
occurred, approximately seven hundred thousand pounds of gold

The California gold rush began with the discovery of nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in 1848. The
California gold rush could possibly be one of the greatest events that shaped American history
during the 19th century. As the word spread that there had been gold found, thousands of gold
miners made the journey to San Francisco. At the end of 1849, the population of the California
territory was about 100,000 and before the gold rush in 1848 the population was less than 1,000.
The gold rush peaked in 1852 and by the end of it there was a total of $2 billion in precious metal
that was extracted which is approximately 750,000 pounds of gold. The first recorded gold flake that
was found was on January 24, 1848, and was found by James Wilson Marshall, who was a carpenter
from New Jersey, the gold flakes were found in the American River by Coloma, California.
Marshall was there working on building a water powered sawmill. Soon after Marshall's discovery
at the mill, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed which ended the Mexican–American War
and also left California to the United States. Though Marshall and Sutter the owner of the mill,
Marshall was building tried to keep the news of the discovery quiet, but word got out. By the middle
of March a newspaper was printed that gold was found at Sutter's Mill. At first everyone in San
Francisco was in disbelief, but by mid–June. As word spread that there was actually gold in
California, the first miners to arrive came from,

In 1849, millions of people rushed to California. These people came for the Gold Rush, which was a
historical event that will be remembered forever. These people were called 49ers. Some traveled by
boat, and then walked across the Panama. Then they took another boat to C.A. Others took a boat
around the Cape Horn to C.A. or went on station wagon.
People from all over the world came to C.A. in search for gold. People traveled by land and sea.
Traveling in a station wagon wasn't that bad, and the people took resources from the C.A. Indian
tribes that had died from the plague.(Wonders pg. 140 and Gold Rush Guy). Miners usually spent
hours looking for gold and found nothing. Today, a small piece of gold could be worth 8$. Mining
was hard, boring, and dangerous. (Our C.A. pg. 78 and Gold Rush Guy). There were many different
ways to find gold. One way, was to pan in a river. Another way, was to use a rocker. There were two
different types of pans. (Ms. Hammill and Gold Rush Guy). In conclusion, in 1849, many people
came to C.A. for the Gold Rush. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
There were many more mining and logging camps during the Gold Rush then before. (Student
Edition pg. 5and 8). California's population before the Gold Rush, was 13,800, and 92,597 after the
Gold Rush. There wern't as many C.A. Indians after the Gold Rush as there were before it. (Ms.
Hammill). During the Gold Rush, many people made machines to find gold. This polluted the rivers
and took many animal's homes. Some miners abandoned their machines. (Ms. Hammill). The Gold
Rush triggered many people to come to

The California Gold Rush Of 1849
The California Gold Rush of 1849 was a very influential event in U.S history. It all started in 1848,
in Coloma, California, when a man named James Marshall (See Appendix A) was working on a
sawmill for a man named John Sutter (See Appendix B). He was working near a river and
something caught his eye. When he went to investigate, he realized that he had discovered pure
gold! Marshall wanted to keep this a secret between him and his boss, but word spread quickly, and
eventually the whole world knew about this discovery thanks to the New York Herald, which was
the first newspaper to publish an article about the Gold Rush. Soon enough, many people started to
immigrate to California to see if they could start a new life, and maybe, get rich. While the Gold
Rush had many positive impacts to the State of California, which included economic benefits, they
were not necessarily as a result of the mining of gold, but opportunities created by the influx of
people looking to get rich. The economic opportunities experienced in the State of California as a
result of the gold rush included manufacturing, trade, merchant business, agriculture, entertainment
market, and newly formed banks and financial institutions ("The Impact of Gold" 2014). Also,
people from different countries like China came by ship to see if they could strike it rich. People
living on the Eastern side of the U.S only had two routes that they could follow to California, and
both took many months and portrayed terrible

The California Gold Rush : Daily Life During The...
Forty–Niners – a term coined during the California Gold Rush which referred to immigrants who
were traveling to the west in search of gold. These immigrants were considered "forty–niners"
because they began to arrive in the year of 1849. In his book, Daily Life during the California Gold
Rush, Thomas Maxwell–Long notes that, "California is nicknamed "The Golden State;" and the
official state motto is "Eureka" meaning "I have found it" in Greek– a reference to mining success"
(Maxwell–Long 1). The California Gold Rush is the most well–known and largest mass migration
that occurred in the history of America during the middle of the 18th century. Although Forty–
Niners had hopes of striking it rich and living out the American Dream, most of them saw little
success. In addition, the Gold Rush created a booming California economy; however, it came at the
price of environmentally destructive practices.
The commencement of the California Gold Rush was on January 24th, 1848 and ceased in the year
of 1855. The Gold Rush migration began when James W. Marshall, originally a sawmill operator,
discovered a piece of gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. He was shocked to find gold
because he was initially at the sight trying to build a sawmill. After news broke out of his finding,
others wanted in on the luck. Within just one year, the mass migration quickly began to grow,
attracting approximately three hundred thousand people from other states and abroad to search for
gold like

The California Gold Rush started on January 24, 1848 when a man named James Wilson Marshall
found gold while he was building a saw mill by the American River. The event that finally
"sparked" the gold rush was in May 1848, when Sam Brannan ran in town with gold in a bottle
shouting "Gold! Gold! Gold from American River!". After that the Gold "Rush" started to pick up
steam. It brought about 300,000 people to California. Most people arrived in 1849 they were called
forty–niners. The Gold Rush peaked in 1852. At first people could pick up gold from the ground and
dig for it but soon people started to pan for gold. They would first dig up dirt and mud. Then they
would put it in a pan and swirl water around and around so that all that was left was the gold. The
hope was to acquire enough gold ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Some people found gold nuggets. They also mined for gold. Some mines are still around today!
Frank was one of the lucky few that made a prophet of mining for gold. Most of the miners where
single men who came to find a fortune. I was very dangerous. There were bandits and thief's that
would try to steel the gold. When people would transport gold, there would have to be escorts to
make sure that it wasn't stolen. One spot that was important was Sacramento, California. The Gold
Rush had a negative effect on the Native American population. Before the Gold Rush there was
about 150,000 Native Americans living in California. After the Gold Rush, however the population
had dropped below 60,000 people. By 1852 most of the surface gold had been found. That is why
they started to mine for gold. Fun Fact California had no banks. The California Gold rush lead to
many people moving west. Some people came over from England, like Frank. Mining for gold was
extremely dangerous. For one thing, the mines could collapse on them. They could also run out of
air. Or they could get hurt and not be able to get out. It was also easy to not eat enough

In the late 1800's, a lot of change was being brought upon the United States, especially on the west
of America. New things were established and found in west states, such as Nevada and California.
Many of these new establishments helped freed slaves find living as the gold mines were a huge
ideal to foreigners traveling from the south and midwest. The Gold Rush was found in Sierra
Nevada during 1848, when gold was found in a mine. This completely changed the popularity and
population of California. Although, for many people who wanted to travel to mine for gold during
the Gold Rush, it was a tough journey as there was no true railroad nor steamboats yet to be taken to
the west. With the rise of exposure for the Chinese population in San Francisco, ... Show more
African Americans were able to finally escape from slavery when coming to California. Gold
became the solution for many slaves to free themselves or their families by selling gold dusts to
their owners. A fine example and quote to explain how well African Americans were doing in the
west coast is from Stephen Magag, who published, Fortune Smiled on Many Black Miners, says
"African Americans hit plenty of California pay dirt –– by 1863, they were collectively worth about
$5 million (the equivalent of $100 million today)." The Gold Rush was able to give freedom for
African Americans; and with that independence, they were able to create their own businesses in
California. Not only was wealth being brought to people who were working or receiving gold,
California was taking in a lot of money which made a large impact for a wealthy state. William
Swain, a man traveling to the west to find gold, sent his brother, George, a letter about his journey. I
found that it was interesting the amount he had spent on things in California, and how he was totally
okay with spending a lot of money on somethings. He spent between 50 cents to ten dollars on food
and 10 to 40 dollars on clothing pieces. The west part of the states knew all the people the gold was
bringing in so they only made a beneficiary choice on behalf of their wealth and popularity.
California was already known as a wealthy and expensive state, so the probability to become a
wealthy person, with a wealthy lifestyle in California, was very hard. Many of the people who did
travel to the gold rush, had to sleep in homemade boroughs, or sleep in their wagons. According to
the documentary film, "Speck of The Future," the biggest part of the Gold Rush was getting there.
Historian, J.S Holliday, mentioned how many immigrants dreaded the travel through the desert and
Sierra Nevada because of

In 1849, an inundation of Chinese immigrants came to the United States to take part in the
California gold rush. Relations between the Chinese and Americans started off neutral, but soon
conflicts arose. White workers saw Chinese as a threat to their status and tried to solve this issue by
passing the Chinese Exclusion Act; this severely limited the number of Chinese allowed to
immigrate into the country at the time. Although this compromise satisfied the white protests, it only
lead to more conflicts with how the Chinese were treated during immigration. These conflicts would
not be resolved for another 61 years.
The California gold rush began when a gold nugget was uncovered in the American River during
1848. Not only did this discovery entice Americans from all over the United States to travel to
California in hopes of making their own profit, but it also brought a torrent of Chinese immigrants
to the United States between 1849 and 1882. At the time of the gold rush, China's economy was
very weak. There were wars and famines occurring. When news of the gold rush reached China,
many Chinese men set out to America with hopes of gaining wealth and returning back to their
homes. "After the gold rush, Chinese immigrants worked as agricultural laborers, on railroad
construction crews throughout the West, and in low–paying industrial jobs" (Chinese Immigration to
the United States – For Teachers). Some even opened their own businesses. "Although relations
between Chinese and

California Gold Rush Of 1849
California would not be the same as we see it today if it was not for the California Gold Rush of
1849. Around one hundred fifty thousand migrated to this territory over the course of three years,
being one of the world's largest migrations in history. The wealth gained by the "Forty–Niner's" in
this era provided the opportunity for the creation of the economic powerhouse we see California as
today. The California Gold Rush is a very complex topic to understand. There is a common
misconception of it simply being a time of profit or loss by miners digging for gold. When instead,
the Gold Rush was a time when "Gold Fever" was a common sickness of people around the world,
people of all ages and color striving to meet their dreams of success and fortune. This migration of
miners is best understood when California's history before the Gold Rush, the chaos over land
ownership and lack of authority, and its short term and long term impacts are extensively analyzed
(4). Before the start of the Gold Rush in 1849, California was a Mexican territory. It is Key to note
(for later understanding of the issues concerning land ownership and makeshift law within the gold
mining districts) that the Gold Rush was not a factor of concern for neither country within the
Mexican War. The Mexican War was sparked by the increasingly hostile territorial disputes between
Mexico and the, at the time, Republic of Texas. These territorial disputes of regions within
California led to the United States

California Gold Rush Essay

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to California Gold Rush Essay

Similar to California Gold Rush Essay (16)

More from Mia Hart

More from Mia Hart (12)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

California Gold Rush Essay