California Gold Rush Research Paper

The first few bits of gold were found around January of 1848 near the region of Coloma. As a result the west had a sudden surge of migrants moving to California in the hopes of excavating gold and getting rich off of the gold. This event in American history became known as the California gold rush and it would have a great impact not only on the nation but on the world, however this job came with many great risks and challenges.

Women were able to won land as seen in Document F. Women also moved out of the domestic sphere and helped with the hard labor, necessary to make a farm run correctly.

Over the past five hundred years or so in america as the overall majority in Mankind, women comprise of the largest group in the world, but they are a vital asset in every aspect of our society. Woman and women's rights are tied hand in hand with american culture, which entails in these rights that they're dependent of social status, race, and geography in america like civil rights in the south. There were different types of economic changes for the different types of ethiniticities in America in which there were different of turning point that women won over their sufferage through their racial discrimination, these included the native american women, hispanic american, african americans and the chinese american women of the united states.

The California Gold Rush was a spectacular time for California. 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.

The California Gold Rush was a very tough time for many cultures. The gold searching included many people like, Native Americans, gangs, and Foreigners. Native Americans were the first victims, Foreigners were treated to contempt, and many gangs stole until they were caught and forcibly stopped. There were many challenges individuals faced such as harsh punishments for claiming a miner’s gold, there wasn’t any police or guards to protect the gold, and many individuals who dug for gold struggled from Xenophobia.

It is well known that the industrialization in America start in the east. However, the gold rush was the reason why it industrialized much faster than the east. With the technological improvements that the gold rush demand it helped California industrialize much faster. Gold was first discovered in January 24 1848 by James Marshall on the south fork of the American river. A not so mentioned part of California history is that James Marshall wasn’t the first person to discover gold in California. Francisco Lopez was the first documented gold rush in California. No one talk or mentions it 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 JamesMarshall 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 after 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 where leaving the San Francisco port on their trips across the pacific. Was when the Hawaii found out about the news? When the states

do was ask the men at the mill to keep the secret for another six

Women in the nineteenth century, for the most part, had to follow the common role presented to them by society. This role can be summed up by what historians call the “cult of domesticity”. The McGuffey Readers does a successful job at illustrating the women’s role in society. Women that took part in the overland trail as described in “Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey” had to try to follow these roles while facing many challenges that made it very difficult to do so.

The California Gold Rush almost did not happen. In his 1848 report to the adjutant-general at Washington, DC, Col. Richard Barnes Mason wrote a worker was checking the strong flow of water in a stream near a saw mill he was building. James Marshall noticed a few glittering particles in the mud that had accumulated. He collected and examined a few of them and, satisfied with their value, brought them to Captain John Sutter, owner of the land where the saw mill was to be built. They agreed to keep their discovery secret for a while but word soon spread and quickly hundreds and then thousands of miners flooded to the mines seeking instant wealth. Only three months after the discovery, it was estimated about four thousand workers were employed mining gold in the region (personal communication, August 17, 1848).

“My eye was caught with the glimpse of something shining at the bottom of the ditch” - James Marshall. The California Gold Rush officially went into full motion on January 24th of 1848. Although many events contributed to or caused the California Gold Rush, the most important events were the Westward Expansion, the discovery of gold, and immigration for work. The Westward Expansion contributed to the development of the California Gold Rush by having the Oregon Trail is one of the trails opened. By the Oregon Trail, most people were roaming along other paths such as the California Trail and others that came to be during the 1840’s. The Westward Expansion was also a way for families to move along in order to start a new phase in their lives. Another pivotal event was the discovery of gold. It led to several immigrants not only local but several from Peru, Australia, China, etc. This also created job opportunities. In addition, immigration contributed to the Gold Rush by as said before several immigrants from around the world coming. Mining also became a large job. Not only for the hunt for gold but for other natural resources such as silver, copper, and oil. These three events contributed to the mass migrations and large

While both the “Invisible Man” and “The House of Mirth” were written near the same time frame, they were written in differing perspectives, reflecting not only social classes but also gender roles of the time period. At the time these books were written, men and women had very different roles in society. Women were in the midst of a long arduous battle of the women suffrage movement and as they gained ground in this fight the gender roles started to change along with the country: “Westward expansion also demanded that many women step outside prescribed gender roles and perform “men’s” work on the frontier” (Jolliffe 1). Men, on the other hand, had a battle of their own trying to defend their masculinity during the movement of women into new social ranks, “masculinity in the United States is certain only in its uncertainty; its stability and sense of well-being depend on a frantic drive to control its environment.” (Stryffeler 4) The struggles of this dynamic time period are expressed through the eyes of these two authors giving readers an idea of how women were viewed differently from men surrounding the gender and social issues that dominated history.

One challenge in the California Gold Rush individuals faced were individuals giving many things up at home. For example from the text “The California Gold Rush” it states “...many people, mostly men left their jobs…” (Mcgill 1-2). People would leave their jobs just to go and try to get gold, mostly none of them even got rich. Mostly men again gave up on their families to get rich. Leaving the people they love for fortune of their own well being. There are really bad people to just throw away what

The Gold Rush was one of the most influential times in California History. During the four years from 1848-1852, 400,000 new people flooded into the state. People from many countries and social classes moved to California, and many of them settled in San Francisco. All this diversity in one place created a very interesting dynamic. California during the Gold Rush, was a place of colliding ideals. The 49ers came from a very structured kind of life to a place where one was free to make up her own rules.

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.

The sexual revolution of the 1960's was a time of great importance to modern America. The changes that occurred across America changed our country as a whole, its influence spread from LA to New York to the 'Heartland of America', Lawrence Kansas. This revolution occurred at a critical point in world history as well. A new type of society formed with soldiers returning from WWII and people began to incorporate themselves with those who matched their identity and not just those geographically near them. People were frustrated and they wanted their voice to be heard, and now they had a group of citizens who would back them up and help them in their revolution. American ideals changed drastically in the twenty years that followed World War two