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California Gold Rush Essay

660 Words3 Pages

Whenever somebody thinks of immigration in the U.S., they think of people coming from different countries but immigration also happens within the country itself. One of the greatest immigrations was to California during the Gold Rush in 1849. Gold was found near Sacramento at Sutter 's Mill as the news of the discovery began to spread people from the east and several thousands from around the world went to California with the hope of striking it rich and bringing tons of gold home. The Gold Rush in California created an economic boom in the Bay Area, a mix of new cultures and a new type of society. Before the Gold Rush, California was hugely underpopulated. The only people that lived there were Native Americans, Mexicans, and a few American immigrants. The towns were small and nearly abandoned. When the Gold Rush started that completely change. The small cities grew and the Bay Area became closer to what it is today and an economic boom occurred. One way the economy grew was because of the gold that was found in the area. Men would work all day. In total of "2 billion"( History.com) dollars of gold …show more content…

The best way that could be seen is by the growth of San Francisco. Before the discovery of gold, San Francisco was a small town that was practically deserted. San Francisco turned out to be "the closest port to the gold fields, thus everything- miners, merchandise, supplies and gold- passed through the city" (The Impact of Gold). The picture "California Gold Rush City" shows that the city grew and stopped being a poor little town with some cabins and became more industrial. Also mining companies were created in the area. Not only did the Gold Rush help with the Bay Area it also helped the national economy as a whole because many companies from the East invested into businesses. Also several individuals like Levis Strauss struck it rich not by mining but by creating things that miners would

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In 1694, Thomas Savery invented what would revolutionize the united states indefinitely, he called it the steam engine. This invention lead to the first steam engine locomotive which many would say was a beneficial turning point in the industrialization of america’s economy,allowing the steam engine to be used on the railways. Although the railroads did impact the United States and certain groups in positive ways,there were also negative effects that occurred. During this time period, there were many chinese immigrants that entered the United States who made up most of the workers that built the tracks.

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Why do people come to california? Though people come to california for many, many reasons, the main reason people are attracted to this diverse state is the tales of success that are told. Many migrants came here in a hurry, expecting a better, easier life than the one back home, but most were disappointed. An example of this is the Great Migration, a large movement of African Americans from the American South, when many families moved away from the Jim Crow laws that segregated and oppressed them, and also looking for higher wages and better jobs in large cities. An example of this is shown in the article “The Warmth of Other Suns” when Isabel Wilkerson claims that they were “Not unlike anyone who ever longed to cross the Atlantic or the

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Even though there has been some positives to the California Gold Rush. There are some negatives to the Gold Rush and one of those negatives is the affect that it had on the environment. The environment during and after the Gold Rush was horrible because of all of the trees they cut down, the hydraulic mining, and the mercury that they used to separate the gold from the ground. According to my first site, “The Gold Rush also had a severe environmental impact. Rivers became clogged with sediment; forests were ravaged to produce timber; biodiversity was compromised and soil was polluted with chemicals from the mining process.

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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.

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the city San Francisco “became the most cosmopolitan city in America, with large numbers of French, Germans, Americans, Mexicans, and Chinese,” (Gillon 69). This shows that the Gold Rush attracted immigrants from all around the world to California which caused the city to become more diverse and more cultures were practiced throughout California. California became more diverse because of the Gold Rush. In conclusion, the Gold Rush had a positive impact on American History because Americans grew in wealth and California became more diverse.

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With the 1848 Gold Rush, traveling miners wanted temporary settlements while the settlers wanted permanent living. These mining camps were full of promiscuous behaviors and the miners moved out of the towns when the mines were emptied. The homes that were once occupied suddenly became vacant. These houses were sold for next to nothing and families moving west often find them as a safe haven.

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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.

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Most immigrants who came to the U.S had high expectations that they would find wealth but once they arrived they realized their expectations weren’t what they expected. Although, they were disappointed in not finding wealth the conditions in which the U.S was in by the late 1800s were still a lot better than the places they all had left behind to come. The majority of the immigration population anticipation was to find profitable jobs and opportunities. When the large numbers of immigration were migrating to the U.S, it was during the “Gilded Age”, which was the prime time for the country’s expansion of industrialization. This rapid expansion of new industries led to the need of workers which motivated people from other countries to come to

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California may have gained statehood on September 9, 1850, but the roots that the early Spaniards created, has made California the mecca it is today. California is very diverse state it has desserts, mountains, and is next to the ocean. This creates endless possibilities for growth in many different economy drive industries to flood this great state. The major industries that have made California this mecca are the movie studio system, the aerospace industry, and the agriculture business. In my option the most important industry in California is the agriculture business, I will try not to bore you with my two cents on this topic.

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C. The gold rush affected many other things in California as well. a. San Francisco’s newspaper was closed due to all the employees quitting their jobs to gold mine. b. California became a state of the U.S. after the California Gold Rush occurred. c. Because California was so new to the U.S., there was no governing rule in the state, this meant that robberies were common and there was not much the people could do about it.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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