Gold: The Rise Of Gold In The California Gold Rush

With all these travelers from the east and different country made California a “melting pot” of different people and culture. When news that California that had gold began to spread outside of the United State it first hit Mexico and Hawaii lead to the first wave of immigrants with the purpose of mining. Then, news the quickly across the world from South America to Europe and from Australian to Asian, the impact was so big that the text said, “Irish immigration to the United States, already at 100,000 a year in 1847, more than double to 220,000 by 1851” (Gillon, 297). With all these people mining towns would quickly pop up across California, and these towns with every race you could think such as Black, French, Irish, Chinese, Mexican, and etc. The towns were constantly busy with people moving to and from mine and rivers. With a day or a week of work could make you a nice amount of profit, you could entertain yourself for a while before you had to go back to mining with bars, gambling parlors, and whore house. Prostitutes made good money because in text said that, “ One prostitute in California Boasted of making more than $50000in a year.” (Gillon, 297). I could imagine myself being there if I made it there.

One of the struggles that people faced during the Gold Rush was the long journey to California. “The overland route offered the most popular and affordable means of travel to the gold

It wasn’t exactly a guarantee that people would strike it rich. The voyage to the land of California was certainly a risk that many had taken. If they failed, they were often left with nothing. Most people nowadays would agree that kicking people out of their own land and then destroying some of the environment is really a bad thing. The escalation of racism was a profound effect that devastated not only the natives, but other settlers too. Without the Gold Rush, California may not have been as diverse as it is now, but the road to its success could have been, without a doubt, much

The assigned readings provided an interesting view of the diverse groups of people who migrated to California during the Gold Rush in the late 1840s and early 1850s and how they impacted society. The primary sources shared detailed information of how Californian society was grew and developed new rules and regulations for mining operations. The sources also discussed how American pioneers and people from different countries shared their experiences during the Gold Rush. Equally important, as Californian society increased, many Yankee miners became concerned about the arrival of foreigners in California (Textbook, 201). California state legislators enforced the Miners' Licensee of 1850 and 1852 that required foreigners to purchase specific mining licenses in order for them to mine (Miners' Document, 33).

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.

Getting to and surviving in the California gold mines was very expensive. Miners generally traveled alone. Many spent about six months wages or more getting to California and then found they could not afford to buy even basic supplies and commodities (Knysh, 2012). For example, a dozen eggs cost $50 and one apple cost $5 (Smithsonian American Art Museum, n.d., Arrival of the forty-niners section).Gold miners endured heavy snow and rain. They usually lived in tents. Damp outdoor camping and poor sanitation caused scurvy, frostbite and other illnesses. A poor diet of beans, bacon and local game were cooked over open fires. Fires often destroyed camps and towns with their

Before the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a sparsely populated, unimportant territory of the United States mostly inhabited by the people of Mexico. However, that all changed when on January 24, 1848; carpenter and small time sawmill operator James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River that would forever change the history of California and America1. Not only did the Gold Rush lead to California’s admittance into the Union in 1850, it also rekindled the idea of the American Dream. Hundred’s of thousands of people poured into the state by the lure of quick and infinite riches. As a result of the Gold Rush, California

During the California Gold Rush there were many thieves. Many had to hide their belongings due to the thieves, especially the Chinese. The Chinese were robbed and harassed the most. Most of of thieves were other foreigners, mostly the Native-Americans because they were mad at the fact that they took their land. The California Gold Rush caused economic changes. A quote to justify is “Merchants charged higher prices for supplies as people began to stream into California. Money was more available than food. Price increases affected everything from eggs to software.”(McGill, 1-2). Many during the California Gold Rush had to leave behind their family behind so they could travel and get to California without a hassle. They would leave so fast because they believed that the gold would be gone by the time they got there. The California Gold Rush was not only dangerous but also risky for those who left their family

“At the time of the discovery, the population of California totaled around 15,000, excluding native Indians. By the end of 1849, after the international gold rush had been under way for nearly six months, the total population had passed 90,000. By 1852, it had reached well over 220,000.” Between the time periods of 1848-1852, “as many as 25,000 Mexicans migrated to the mining regions of California.” During this same span, over 2,000 African Americans had made their way into California, and by 1855 “as many as 50,000 Chinese sought wealth in California.” In addition, Chilean and French comprised two more large groups of immigrants, with estimates of 20,000 French by 1851 and somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 Chilean by 1850. Moreover, it was not only the privileged, wealthy individuals who were the ones moving in search of gold; on the contrary, it was people from all avenues and walks of life. Individuals with nothing to lose and those with everything to lose boarded wagon trains, ships, and boats and headed for San Francisco. The California Gold Rush turned hardworking, sensible individuals into crazed, strike it rich enthusiasts. “People of all classes had departed for the diggings, including school teachers, mechanics, physicians, lawyers, tailors, clergymen, laborers, merchants, teamsters, cooks, gamblers, the first and second alcaldes, the sheriff,

“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

California was a land with many possibilities at least that’s what the forty niners thought. In 1848 the gold deposits of California were discovered and the news spread across the world. But on December 5 1848 the president of the United States gave a speech about the gold to encourage western expansion. About 53,000 americans traveled to California during the gold rush. The forty niners had to face many challenges on their way to California such as their journey over sea, their journey over land, and how they were going to make money.

“The first vessel to carry argonauts to San Francisco was the steamship California. In October 1848, before the gold rush started, the California had left New York and headed for San Francisco. By the time the vessel rounded Cape Horn and reached Panama City — on January 17,1849 — about 1,500 American gold-hunters were waiting to board. However the ship, which had berths for 210 people, was already transporting many South Americans.” (Saffer, 14) Most of the men that traveled to California didn’t make much profit at all. Many of the 49ers missed their opportunity for fame and fortune because they came at a later time during the gold rush when there was nothing left. A majority of the miners missed their chance to become rich during the California Gold Rush. Only a very small amount of miners became rich. Most miners had to return to their families with nothing with them. Some miners couldn’t even return home to their families. "Brannan became a millionaire selling mining goods, real estate, and his publications. Many men wound up plying the trades they had practiced back home, serving as carpenters, shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers, and blacksmiths.” These people became very wealthy and all they had to do was play the system. So many minors failed to become rich and only really just lost

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.

When gold was discovered in 1848, a gold rush was created. James Marshall discovered it at Sutter’s Mill. People from around the world came to find gold for themselves and strike it rich. People left their belongings and their families behind for a chance to find gold. Many people who came to California did not find gold and lost most of their money. Before this California was relatively small in population. Many towns in California that were small turned into boomtowns. Boomtowns were cities which population grew exponentially. San Francisco had a population of 200 residents and then grew to over 30,000 people during the gold rush. With all the people coming in, violence, gangs, prostitution, and land destruction arose.