Women During the Gold Rush Essay example

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.

I and the other women were responsible for ensuring the food supply lasted on the long journey as well as packing the wagon. We were also responsible for cooking the meals on the Oregon Trail. We were required to wear long dresses with long sleeves in oppressive heat and care for all of the needs of the men and children as well as tend to the sick. There was a major risk to the female pioneer of losing our husbands or even our children to illness or accidents along the Oregon Trail. If the food supply ran short the men would hunt for food, use supplies meant for our new homes, or die of starvation.

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.

The Gold Rush of California was a “shot heard” round the world that caught the ears of many individuals who were seeking the golden opportunities of the West. (Chan & Olin 1992). With the dreams of wealth on the horizon, the Gold Rush brought on a drastic change in American society. For the women of this period, their lives would be altered in ways that would change the Western frontier. With an eagerness for wealth and equality women now found themselves struggling to survive in a society that was mainly male dominant and branch out from the normalcy of womanhood, which would transform occupational drive, prostitution and marital status.

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.

By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was done, 350,000+ pioneers had taken the trip on the Oregon Trail. Several of these people were women and most of the women were accompanied with children (Pioneers West Women). Many men just told their wives that they were going to go start a new life in Oregon (or one of the other places that the pioneers went to) (Pioneers West Women). In other families, women had a big influence on whether or not they went on the Oregon Trail (Pioneers West Women). Many women kept diaries or journals explaining their life on the trail, they would write in them when they had some “downtime” (CJonline.com). Education-wise, men usually left it to the women. But some of them couldn’t read, so they couldn’t read the Bible to them (or any book for that matter). Even before starting the Oregon Trail journey, the wagon had to be packed. That task usually fell to the women, (naturally,). Packing the wagon usually started with making a list of the most basic things. This, for the women, was the first hardship. They found out that personal items didn’t mean as much as the necessities and that they couldn’t take them with. The things that were deemed unneeded were sold off to help pay for the trip west. Most women on the Oregon Trail weren’t “women”. Girls had to grow up fast, and if they didn’t, they were forced to. Girls as young as 14 were married

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 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.

     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.

The Gold Rush of 1849-changed California forever. The influx of people from around the country and world created opportunities for many people. “For every famous story there were a thousand smaller stories of success” (Quinn Lynch). This meant that people struck it big and others had created a better life for themselves. Whether this better life was mining or owning a business in the booming cities. The Gold Rush created entrepreneurs like Levi Strauss and Henry Wells and William Fargo that were lucky enough to become famous off the Gold Rush without mining. The Rush also brought in many immigrants who shaped the culture and the way of life in California. The immigrants brought there sense of hard work, which made the cities grow and become

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.

“To many Californians the mention of January 24, 1948, conveys no special meaning, nor is that date widely commemorated in the state. Yet it had a special significance in the history of California, for on that day James Marshall, a moody carpenter from Missouri, discovered the first gold nuggets that resulted in a stampede known as the California Gold Rush.” The California Gold Rush drew in thousands of white settlers, all seeking a better life and a chance

The author’s challenging for other historical viewpoints during the Gold Rush was how this two types of classes were treated differently, between the Natives Americans and the Europeareans. High class women who were the Europeans were more as a royal class than the Natives, were a lower class. The European woman were in a higher positions than the other women. But even though these women were treated differently they were not as much different as

Sex, Gender, Culture, and a Great Event: The California Gold Rush by Albert L. Hurtado is article that describes living conditions in California during the Gold Rush time period. In the beginning those who migrated to California were predominantly males. With every year that followed the Government kept track of the ratio of men to women. It was proven that to each woman there were 12 men, which did not match a supply to demand theory. Many of the men that came to California found work and became wealthy. Classification, race and gender were the major components of the way a person was treated. People were able to establish a way of life that corresponded to their previous lives which they once had in their hometowns but better because of the freedoms given.