The California Gold Rush catalyzed westward expansion and helped inspire the American dream: it was the opportunity of a lifetime for nearly 300,000 prospectors looking to strike it rich. In January of 1848, James Marshall had a small crew working to build a sawmill for John Sutter, on January 24th, Marshall found a few tiny gold nuggets.[1] His amazing find created the California Gold Rush; it catalyzed westward expansion and helped inspire the American dream: it was the opportunity of a lifetime for nearly 300,000 prospectors looking to strike it rich.
The potential to find riches caused California’s population to increase exponentially; as a result, California was incorporated into the Union just two years after the United States had acquired it from Mexico in 1850. At first, there were only two routes to California, the first, a six-month sea voyage leaving from New York, which rounded the tip of South Africa and ended in either San Diego or San Francisco. Travelers on these trips often fell ill from seasickness, verminous food, and monotony; this voyage was often very costly which made it a grim choice for prospectors. The second option was for travelers to make the six-month journey over the Oregon- California Trail in covered wagons. This tour weaved its way through rough terrain and hostile regions. Both of these voyages were difficult and dangerous which inspired the construction of the Panama Railway, which was the world’s first transcontinental railroad; private American companies built across the Isthmus of Panama to shorten travel time to California.[2] Many of these prospectors brought new people and languages to California, however many of them had no intention of settling in California, most hoped to return home with their spoils.
While the Gold Rush brought wealth for forty-niners, it negatively affected the Californios, which were people who had been granted citizenship in California after the Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo. Other foreign miners were also discriminated against and eventually forced to pay an absurdly high tax ($20 a month) in order to continue mining on their lands. Many were not able to afford this, which caused the withdrawal of their presence. In addition, Chinese and African American miners searched for equality and the opportunity to strike it rich, however foreign licensing taxes and discrimination held them back and made it impossible.[3]
Many great things were made possible because of the Gold Rush, for example, San Francisco grew into a great boomtown and it inspired the development of new methods of transportation. Steamships and railroads became regular modes of transportation in addition to new railroads being built. The Gold Rush changed California and the lives of the forty-niners and other Californians forever.[4] It gave hundreds of thousands the opportunity of a lifetime and helped to inspire the American dream.
[1] California Natural Resources Agency. "The California Gold Rush." California's Natural Resources: A Brief History of the Gold Rush. http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/geology/goldrush.html (accessed May 4, 2014).
[2] Harvard University . "California Gold Rush (1848–1858)." Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858. http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html (accessed May 2, 2014).
[3] Paddison, Joshua. "1848-1865: Gold Rush, Statehood, and the Western Movement." Calisphere. http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/calcultures/eras/era4.html (accessed May 1, 2014).
[4] "California Gold Rush." Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/California_Gold_Rush.html (accessed May 4, 2014).
The potential to find riches caused California’s population to increase exponentially; as a result, California was incorporated into the Union just two years after the United States had acquired it from Mexico in 1850. At first, there were only two routes to California, the first, a six-month sea voyage leaving from New York, which rounded the tip of South Africa and ended in either San Diego or San Francisco. Travelers on these trips often fell ill from seasickness, verminous food, and monotony; this voyage was often very costly which made it a grim choice for prospectors. The second option was for travelers to make the six-month journey over the Oregon- California Trail in covered wagons. This tour weaved its way through rough terrain and hostile regions. Both of these voyages were difficult and dangerous which inspired the construction of the Panama Railway, which was the world’s first transcontinental railroad; private American companies built across the Isthmus of Panama to shorten travel time to California.[2] Many of these prospectors brought new people and languages to California, however many of them had no intention of settling in California, most hoped to return home with their spoils.
While the Gold Rush brought wealth for forty-niners, it negatively affected the Californios, which were people who had been granted citizenship in California after the Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo. Other foreign miners were also discriminated against and eventually forced to pay an absurdly high tax ($20 a month) in order to continue mining on their lands. Many were not able to afford this, which caused the withdrawal of their presence. In addition, Chinese and African American miners searched for equality and the opportunity to strike it rich, however foreign licensing taxes and discrimination held them back and made it impossible.[3]
Many great things were made possible because of the Gold Rush, for example, San Francisco grew into a great boomtown and it inspired the development of new methods of transportation. Steamships and railroads became regular modes of transportation in addition to new railroads being built. The Gold Rush changed California and the lives of the forty-niners and other Californians forever.[4] It gave hundreds of thousands the opportunity of a lifetime and helped to inspire the American dream.
[1] California Natural Resources Agency. "The California Gold Rush." California's Natural Resources: A Brief History of the Gold Rush. http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/geology/goldrush.html (accessed May 4, 2014).
[2] Harvard University . "California Gold Rush (1848–1858)." Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858. http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html (accessed May 2, 2014).
[3] Paddison, Joshua. "1848-1865: Gold Rush, Statehood, and the Western Movement." Calisphere. http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/calcultures/eras/era4.html (accessed May 1, 2014).
[4] "California Gold Rush." Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/California_Gold_Rush.html (accessed May 4, 2014).