A wise man once said, “There is nothing in the world more beautiful than a gold nugget.” This was the mindset of all of those people who traveled from far and wide just for a shot at finding that “gold nugget” during the California Gold Rush. There was exponential and colossal beauty seen in gold, which did not reference its external or physical appearance, but the beauty was so prominent because of the meaning the gold represented. When a man would find gold, every risk he and his family had taken, from the long journey to California, to being oppressed by other cultures, to even risking an early death would finally be worth something. The locating of gold was so powerful to a family because it promised new beginnings, a new life, wealth, and hope for the future. …show more content…
With the Mexican War’s conclusion, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was passed, which gave California to the United States. Soon after California became a part of the United States, findings of gold were discovered in the new state, and the news spread to people not only all over the United States, but all over the world. The finding of gold in California …show more content…
After the news of gold broke and spread throughout the entire planet, the world rejoiced. The start of the Gold Rush was a glimpse into the joy that was to come from finding gold, because the finding of gold was the commencement of a new life. Although families were torn apart and many cultures and people had to adjust to new circumstances, the success that was the reality for many people gave them hope for the future. The California Gold Rush was so much more than just a beneficial time for the economy and striking it rich, for it signified hidden challenges and
In January of 1848, a carpenter in California made a discovery that changed the history of North America, 2 cold nuggets. Shortly after people flocked towards California with the hopes of gaining big and forever changing their lives. The U.S. quickly made California into a state and benefited greatly from it. The California Gold Rush greatly enhanced the U.S. economy and greatly changed our country.
The gold rush in California further complicated the issue of slavery. When gold
Discovery of Gold The discovery of gold introduced immigrants, gold rushers, miners, loggers, railroads and infrastructure community to Washington State. The immigrants or settlers came to Washington to look for gold and the discovery of gold helped increasing the population in Washington. In order for gold to be found, there were prospectors, miners and loggers that were there to find a way to complete their mission by finding gold. After gold has been discovered, it introduced an infrastructure community in small towns across the west.
In December 1848, President James Polk announced during a speech that there was more gold in California than people had previously thought. Miners came by the thousands across land, and sea to find the gold and the journeys that
It left behind many legacies, ideas, and opinions. If the California Gold Rush never happened, perhaps California wouldn 't be a state and most definitely wouldn 't be the diverse area it is today. In California there is diversity, economy, and hope which wouldn 't be here if it weren’t for new races migrating to California. On the flipside, without the Gold Rush California would have a more stable population of Native Americans in California, and it would have mountains and rivers that we don 't have today. The California Gold Rush did, however, change the United States and the American Dream
The Gold Rush, beginning in 1848 and ending in 1855, was a period in American history which opened the doors of opportunity to a new group of immigrants, the Chinese. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, California, in 1848 was the cause of mass Chinese immigration that would last for decades to come. When James Marshall discovered gold in 1848, there were fifty-four recorded Chinese in California, this number quickly rose to 116,000 by 1876. Title (Chinese Immigration During the Gold Rush: The American Encounter) The California Gold Rush allowed for immigrants, such as the Chinese, to encounter the various beliefs and suspicions of the American society.
The early arrivers or “forty-eighters” received much profit considering how they got ahold of the gold before others had taken it. “Only a small number (probably fewer than 500) traveled overland from the United States that year. Some of these "forty-eighters", as the earliest gold-seekers were sometimes called, were able to collect large amounts of easily accessible gold—in some cases, thousands of dollars worth each day” (California Gold Rush, Wikipedia). But 1949 is when the real gold rush started. Approximately 300,000 people from around the world went to California in hopes of finding gold.
Gold mining had reached its peak by 1852. More than $80 million in gold had been pulled from mines (Encyclopedia.com, 2015). Even though the gold rush was not profitable for all who came to California, the gold rush reshaped the demographics of California because people from Asia and other parts of the world traveled to California and the population rose. In 1848, James Marshall discovered gold while constructing a mill for John Sutter (Encyclopedia.com, 2015).
The Gold Rush supposedly inspired the largest mass movement of people in world history because of the incredibly large masses of gold being found in the West. People found thousands of dollars in gold and people of all different cultures and backgrounds moved Westwards in hopes of finding gold as well. The Gold Rush left a positive effect on American History because Americans became wealthier and more foreigners came to California which expanded diversity. To start, Americans were able to sell this gold in exchange for loads of money. One man who only had a piece of land that was four feet square “got thirty pounds of gold in less than a month.”.
People in America during this time seeking for opportunities out west that they did not think they had in the east. During this time, gold was discovered in California that attracted many people not just from America, but all over the world. Plus, the government encouraged people to go mining for gold by giving miners cheaper land to live on out west. As stated in the Homestead Act of 1862, United States Congress, a law providing free land for citizens of the United States in western territories. This act encouraged people to mine for gold in California so they could have cheaper land than they would anywhere else.
However, these factors not only contributed greatly towards the outcome of the Klondike gold rush, but also resolved to have a long-lasting effect on a larger scale. For example, the economical trade mentioned in this Gold Rush changed the economy in Alaska and the United States. Also, the harsh environments documented by prospectors allowed future generations to realize the difficulty and fraud of the Gold rush, consequently causing the Klondike Gold Rush to be known as “The Last Great Gold Rush.” Therefore, these factors must not be avoided or under looked as they contribute significantly towards the event as a
The California Gold Rush is a unique point in history that helped to shape the U.S. Without the gold rush, California may not be considered a part of the U.S. because it could easily have been acquired by Mexico. With the gold rush the U.S. wanted to obtain California both for its gold and to expand its growing population. Obtaining California was a benefit for many reasons. However, the part of the landscape of California was ruined in the process because many of its rivers were diverted destroying much of its natural landscape.
The California Gold Rush was a rush of people in search of gold in California. The gold was discovered in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 which sparked the gold rush. The rush was a huge influence in how America was shaped into what it is today. It shaped California into what it is today. Without this gold rush California would be like it is today but it would have taken way more years and it wouldn’t be such a diversely populated state.
2nd Draft Research Paper The Gold Rush, known as an event that pushed California into statehood, is positively remembered by the public. However, outlooks of the California Dream was not as glorious as the media at the time made it to seem. Rumors and myths at the time attracted miners. News sources had claimed that gold came in "lumps the size of a man's hand" -- "an inexhaustible supply.
It was discovered on January 24th 1848 by James Marshall in California. A quarter million people migrated to California for the chance to get rich and other personal reasons. Foreigners from all around the world came to America to either search for gold or the new opportunities open. As time progressed corporations were formed that could buy new technology and workers to search for gold and several boom towns had formed in California. As more and more people moved west the United States faced another issue.