Happi Signe 3.26.18 Social Studies Research Paper “A total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted from the area during the Gold Rush, which peaked in 1852”. The California gold rush started when James W. Marshall found a piece of gold in the American River when building a sawmill, for John Sutter at Sutter’s Fort. The gold rush attracted 300,000 people to California. Many of the people who planned on traveling to the territory wanted to become wealthy by mining gold and then return to their homes and family. However, life during the gold rush was difficult and many Native Americans and prospectors experienced hardships Native Americans were deeply affected by the California gold rush in a negative manner. They …show more content…
Native Americans didn’t see the value of gold at the time, however, some of those who found the metal had made trades with settlers. Many of the trades made were not fair trades for Native Americans. “The settlers believed this not to be wrong and it wasn't considered a crime for stealing their claim. What fueled the settlers to do their crimes was that in a nine year period(1848-1852) an estimated 24.3 million ounces of gold was prospected during the California Gold Rush; the value of the is around $6.9 billion worth of the precious metal. ($285 an ounce)”. Some prospectors also decided to enslave Native Americans. Native Americans were a considered a source of cheap labor. Children were also taken from their parents and were to be purposeful slaves. For example, the man who influenced the start of the gold rush, John Sutter, had hundreds of Native Americans working for him. According to Blakemore, John Sutter “used them [Native Americans] as a free source of labor and a makeshift militia with which he defended his territory”. Another example is in the article “California’s Little-Known Genocide” written by Erin Blakemore. It states, “‘Whites are becoming impressed with the …show more content…
The cost of living at the beginning of the Gold Rush, was dramatically increasing as more people traveled to California in search of gold. In the article “The Gold Rush,” it states “In 1849, San Francisco’s population skyrocketed from 812 to 20,000 people. The cost of land soared – the same plot of land which had cost $16 in 1847, sold for $45,000 just eighteen months later. Prices of goods and commodities also rose. Fresh produce was in high demand, with apples selling for $5 each and a dozen eggs for $50”. In addition, the new settlers would need to buy clothes and food to survive. Therefore, many newer inexperienced prospectors didn’t have the money to buy what they needed. The average miner would earn about $10 per day. If a miner was to only be able to make $10 a day, then he wouldn't be able to afford the cost of food. Tori Avey expands upon this topic, “Because of the high price of food, several firsthand accounts of gold rush life depict times of near-starvation. Nutrition, unfortunately, was not high on a miner’s list of priorities. Fruits and vegetables were scarce and as a result, many miners suffered from scurvy. Forty-niners also hated to tear themselves away from their search for gold and turned to quick meals that could be cooked over hot ashes”. This was dangerous because scurvy can be deadly if it is not treated. Even if a miner was to rest and eat properly for a day or two, they would be losing time
To start, once gold was discovered, miners and businessmen raced to California to get their hands on any gold they could. When westerners got their gold on the market, “each spoonful was worth $8 in gold,” and was a product everyone
They went wherever gold was found, they didn’t mind to travel. “..the newspaper enviously reported that the Chinese had "made good wages all summer. " The Americans encourage for Chinese men to come help them dig up the gold. The relationship with the Chinese would decrease during the passing of the gold rush. Once they realize gold was running out they need to put the blame on someone.
The discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley in 1848 sparked the California Gold Rush, one of the most significant events to shape America.1 From 1848-1855, thousands of immigrants came to California to mine for gold. San Francisco grew from a population of 1,000 to 20,000 in two years due to this.2 Many men left their jobs to try their luck at getting rich from mining gold. A total of $2 billion worth of gold was extracted from California by the end of 1852.1 On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American river at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Coloma, CA.1 Marshall found it while constructing a sawmill on a water powered sawmill owned by John Sutter. Sutter was a European immigrant that help found Nueva Helvetia (New Switzerland).
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.
The California Gold Rush sparked at California 's South Fork American River on Monday, January 24, 1848. A man by the name of James Marshall was working a construction crew when he saw a sparkle in the corner of his eye. Little did he know that this sparkle would bring people in from all corners of the world. This sparkle was the mineral Au on the periodic table, also known as Gold. And that was the start of the California gold rush.
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.
Did you know that the start of the California Gold rush brought more than 250,000 people west to California? The Gold Rush was a defining time in the history of California. The outcome of the California Gold Rush was a significant compromise in the nineteenth century because it led to forming of towns as people migrated, forming of California as a state, and the Compromise of 1850. On January 24, 1848, a discovery was made that changed many Americans’ lives. January 24, 1848 James W. Marshall, a carpenter from New Jersey, discovered gold.
The California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush was a period when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. It was in the year of 1848. The Gold Rush was important because James W. Marshall found the gold, John Sutter kept the secret and lead on with the discovery, and Samuel Brannan was an important buyer and seller of the gold. James W. Marshall was trying to solve problem that prevented the water from flowing forcefully enough to keep the water wheel turning properly.
Gold rush essay The gold rush was an event in the Australian gold fields were Australians came to strike rich .The intention of this essay is to discuss if the gold rush was a tragedy for overseas immigration. Before this essay addresses why the Australian gold rush was a tragedy for multiculturalism this essay must describe what the event was. What was the Australian gold rush? Why did the gold rush attract people from overseas?
Americans were able to make thousands of dollars off of gold and immagrants and foreigners from all over the world came to California. Citizens became richer and all different cultures learned to
I. The California Gold Rush is one of the most known gold rushes in the U.S. The phenomenon was started by James Marshall when he found gold in the American River and he said “My heart thumped for I knew it was gold.” Because of his findings the California Gold Rush was born in 1848, then died seven years later in 1855. During these seven years California accumulated over 300,000 people that left their homes to mine for gold.
In many ways the Californian Gold Rush benefited Americans, but it also displayed the cruelty of man and damaged the land. An example of this would be the extermination of the Indian tribes. Many Native American tribes would be eradicated during the Gold Rush and their land taken in search of gold. Another drawback of the Californian Gold Rush is that it ruined the land for agriculture.
The gold was found January 24, 1848 by James Wilson Marshal at the river base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Coloma California. Shortly after the discovery the population of California sky rocketed. The non-native population of California reached one hundred thousand. The amount of gold they got was
Not only did around 300,000 people come to California to mine gold. Towns and cities grew where the gold was. A lot of people made money selling mining gear to the people who came to mine gold. There needed to be banks, food stores, and supplies stores where the gold was, So town 's got created from gold mining. That is how
Gold was discovered in Australia during The Australian Gold Rush in 1853 and the main part of the gold rush lasted for 25 years. The news about gold was spread quickly all around the world. Due to its value and wealth, gold was attracted Chinese immigrants and other nationalities such as European people. Chinese immigrants came to Australia to try to discover gold to get rich and make money. They had many difficulties during their migration and settling in Australia in order to achieve their dreams of having a better life.