The True Impact of the Gold Rush The reason why the California Gold Rush was so popular was mainly because no matter what time period, almost everyone has the desire to achieve instant wealth. It was almost like a lottery that anyone could become rich with and the only risk to take is to move to California, which isn’t that big of a price for many to pay. This all sounded great and almost too good to be true to people of the world, not only Americans, and everyone wanted to see it for themselves. With the news of the Gold Rush spreading like wildfire, the population of California shot up in an instant and the former residents, Native Americans, were violently forced out. Miners discovered more efficient ways of getting gold by the day and many of these techniques absolutely destroyed the environment. Overall, the California Gold Rush had a negative impact on the U.S. in the short and long term with effects such as, overpopulation, indian cruelty, and environmental …show more content…
First, massive amounts of earth was blown away from hydraulic mining. Hydraulic mining uses high-pressured water jets to blow away sediment/earth and was a very efficient way of finding gold. The great power of the water blew threw bedrocks, destroyed mountainsides, led to deforestation, and caused debris flows and flooding in nearby towns. The hydraulic mining also caused major runoffs of sediment, which completely covered fertile farmland in valleys. The landscape was not only destroyed by hydraulic mining, miners also used dangerous chemicals that still leave effects on California today. Miners used chemicals, such as mercury, to extract the gold from quartz and stone. However, mercury is very hazardous and leaves behind toxic chemicals that threaten people today. The mercury can get in water sources and poison the people. Miners during the Gold Rush were never thinking about the
Title: The Sand Creek Massacre Research Question: What were the reasons behind the gold rush in Colorado in the 19th century and the war atrocities committed by United States Government towards the culmination of the Sand Creek Massacre? Though Colorado was not yet a state in the 1950s, the gold prospects within the territories which were still under Kansas at the time led to an influx of emigrants in a land that was originally occupied by Native Indians. The Colorado gold rush to this day is considered to have been the largest in the United States in the 19th century forming an intricate description of the country’s history in general. Following the discovery of gold in 1859 thousands of people descended towards the Rocky Mountains of Colorado,
California Gold Rush attracted many people around the world. About 80,000 people moved to California by the end of 1849. Many of these people came from Chile, England, and mostly China. This movement accelerated the American economical growth. Immigration is one of the most important even the history of the United States.
In conclusion, the westward expansion was one of the most important times in American history but one of the hardest for those who made the journey. The settlers had to go through a lot of hardships to get a new life in the west. The Gold Rush helped bring people to the west and populate California so it became a state. People such as Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark helped explore the new terrain and make maps so people could live there. Even though the pioneers got diseases, had conflicts with the Native Americans, and had to travel for long periods of time in a ship or covered wagon, they never gave up hope.
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 gold rush of 1849 was a controversial time in history because of the many positives and negatives it brought. Although the time period itself could be violent, it was overall beneficial to the unity and development of the country. The California gold rush had mostly positive effects on America, including the development of the west and hastened to address the issue of slavery to make the country better as a whole. One of the biggest benefits of the California gold rush was that it led to the transcontinental railroad being built.
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 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 and its Impact In the year of 1848, gold was found by a group of people digging in the northern part of California. This group of laborers was digging a millrace, which is the channel which carries the swift current of water that drives a mill wheel, for a man with the name of John Sutter. Although most people think about the Gold Rush as a time where gold was discovered in California, the Gold Rush made more of an impact to the future of the country than people think. There are many other reasons besides gold that make the Gold Rush an important event in American history.
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.
In regards to positive impacts, the mass of immigrants brought new religions into the American culture as many of the immigrants were Catholic or Jewish. As the push westward continued, the discovery of gold and silver gave hope to many who were poor that they could stake a claim and strike it rich. However, unknown to them, their chances of striking it rich were slim. Hence, the California Gold rush.
Gold is just like money. Sometimes gold and money can get a person killed. Some people did die during the California gold rush. People like gold because it is shiny. You can melt gold and make a gold tooth.