Impact Of The Gold Rush

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

The Gold Rush during the mid 1800s had a major impact on the movement westward. People traveled thousands of miles across all kinds of rugged terrain in pursuit of wealth and riches. The large amount of settlers in California during this time created a state full of diversity which remains the same to this day. These enormous amounts of people, however, made it difficult for the economy to support the ones who weren’t so lucky. On top of this, there was also a huge destruction of the Native population, and even discrimination against other newcomers. The Gold Rush also created significant environmental hazards throughout the area that are still a problem today. All these things are solid indicators that the Gold Rush actually had a negative impact on California.

Gibbs, William. "California Gold Rush (1848–1858)." Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013.

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 was a period of time when thousands of people from all over the world came to California for gold, some were lucky, most were not. California was owned by Mexico 1600-1846. Mexico soon allowed the U.S. to have California as it’s own state, and that is when they found the gold. The California Gold Rush was a difficult time with the challenges people faced traveling to California, the way the Forty-Niners lived, and the way they used the gold.

During the rise of industrialization, the United States had just ended the Civil War and was starting to move on. People had an aspiration at this time to make a more than decent living for themselves, and the economy was at the right spot for this to be possible. This time period in American History is referred to as the Gilded Age, termed by the famous author Mark Twain, which simply means covered in gold; however, Twain did not necessarily mean this in a good way. He believed right under the surface of this gold plating was still problems with the American society that didn’t look so appealing. This essay will discuss how practices during the rise of industrialization during the Gilded Age shaped the American work and labor force.

The gold rush started because Edward Hargraves returned to Australia after prospecting gold in California he noticed that some parts of Australia were similar and convinced gold could be found. He was proved right a year later he discovered gold in New South Wales in April 1851 he spread the news to local colonies and overseas but it took many months for people overseas to find out. For the first year, the diggings were worked by locals from Australian colonies. Soon after word spread to England in January 1852 a new rush of migration followed as Britons from all classes decided to try their luck the discovery of gold in Victoria also added to the hysteria. Husbands left their families, ships were left stranded in port when crews left the ship to go to the diggings Teachers laborer’s lawyer’s government officials and police officers made a dash for the gold fields

November 1898, and the Gold Rush in the Yukon was in full swing. On the banks of the Klondike river, thousands of prospectors stood and knelt, panning for the ever so elusive dust that seemed to have some sort of mind control, using shine and luster to call people to it in a mad paroxysm . Here, a tiny force of mounties attempted to keep the peace in Dawson City. In the South, the Long Depression was in full effect, and the gold rush offered an opportunity to transcend its economic effects. Almost overnight, the city had gained 30-40 000 residents, and with all the lights from tents and campfires, the city earned the name of the City of Lights.

If you had the opportunity to get rich from gold, would you? Would you be willing to leave everything you have behind to move thousands of miles across the country just for gold? In 1859, the answer for many people was yes. Word of gold found throughout Colorado spread across the country and launched the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush or today known as the Colorado Gold Rush. There are several significant events in Colorado history that have had a huge impact on the state we know today. The Colorado Gold Rush, in 1859, was the most significant event in Colorado History for several reasons; the rush attracted thousands of people to our state, initiated the mining of other resources, succored farming and ranching throughout the state and helped to boost the economy of the towns here in Colorado. The gold rush had a massive impact on several aspects of Colorado during the time and these aspects continue to be apart of Colorado still today.

The Gilded Age (beginning after the end of the civil war and lasting through the start of the nineteenth century) sparked the rise of big businesses such as the oil industry, steel company, and the railroads. This created new innovations, technologies, urbanization, and rapid expansion all of which required more and more land to keep up with growth. Due to this demand for land, big business placed higher pressure on government to open up restricted lands that had previously been segregated for Indian use. Vast new land brought under the cultivation of the West flooded and left an abundant supply of farm products. As the amount of resources increased, the prices dropped, which left farmers in a vulnerable state. Hard-pressed farmers in the West and South supported increased coinage of silver to inflate the currency, and make it easier for them to pay their debts. The result of the economic turmoil left the Native American’s without land, and fueled the beginning of political third-

One of the most beneficial events in American history is the California Gold Rush. The Gold Rush started in 1848 when it was discovered that California Rivers harbored gold inside them. This attracted many Americans across the United States, thus causing a massive migration to California. People from across the nation put their lives on hold in hopes of striking gold in California. For many, the journey took months and the risk of death was steadily present. Dangers were everywhere- from Native American attacks to getting lost on the trail. It was a risk, however, that many deemed worthy. The Gold Rush is a positive turning point in our nation’s growth for many reasons. It helped our nation achieve Manifest Destiny, it allowed the population to grow in California, and it also put California on the map. Although the California Gold Rush has many positives aspects, it holds negative traits as well.

The Gold Rush is considered as one of the most significant events in the American history. It began after James Marshall discovered gold form the Sutter’s mill in Coloma, California on January 24, 1948. Though James and Sutter tired to keep this news as secret, there was one newspaper reported it. As the news spread so fast across the country and around the world that attracted hundreds of thousands of gold seekers from different areas came to California.

The Gilded Age was an era overlapping the Reconstruction Era in the late 19th century, referred to the time in which America’s farming society transitioned to an urban society, in which was taken over by industrialized industries. The documents “Autobiography of a Chinese Immigrant” by Lee Chew, “Gilded Age LYSK” slides, and “Emma Goldman Autobiography” by Emma Goldman all explain the ideology behind the Gilded Age and how it was developed over it’s era. Essentially, during the Gilded Age, America began to “reform”, or make changes economically and transitioned America into an “economic powerhouse.” The saying, “all that glitters is not gold” could fundamentally be used to describe the Gilded Age era, considering it was a time in which things seemed to be going well, however, it in the inside it had been corrupt. Ultimately, for several political, economic, and social reasonings, this era could be viewed to be corrupt in several manners.

In early 1848, cries of gold findings flooded the West. White settlers flooded the area like a hurricane in search of riches never seen before to the common man. It was the single greatest migration of people in a shortest amount of time. The gold rush was a very dark period in American history and it shouldn’t be celebrated; the Native American’s were slaughtered in American thirst for gold Explosions of violence from both natives and settlers were common in this environment of prejudice and greed. Between 1850 and 1890 eighty percent of the total number of Native Americans in California died due to murder and massacre, disease, starvation, and forced migration from their native lands. The destruction of the culture and lives of the people native to California and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Greed changed the morals and values of the miners and Americans alike in the Gold Rush. The gold rush brought riches and highlighted racism of white Americans, while systematically destroying Native Americans in that region.

I will discuss how the Gold Rush, more than any other single event, impacted the social, economic, and political nature of the West Coast and the United States. I will break down the social, economic, and political ramifications of the Gold Rush on (a) the region, and (b) the United States as a whole.