Premium Essay

Essay On California Gold Rush

Submitted By
Words 649
Pages 3
Did you know the California Gold Rush was the largest mass migration in American history? The California Gold Rush wasn’t the first gold rush in history but many people think it was. Some miners struck rich and were better off than they were before they came to Coloma. Others weren’t as successful and were sick and out of money. The California Gold Rush took place in Coloma, California from 1848 to 1855. This was a time of excitement and prosperity for many Americans. In addition it was a tough and hard time for foreigners and some of the Americans.The gold rush was a challenge for many individuals because of the crime, quality of life, and the difficult trave. During the Gold Rush there was many crimes which caused hardship for some of the miners seeking for their fortune.Majority of the crimes the crimes were property theft and the number of crimes increased with every new miner (Saffer 44). One of the reason that the miners stole from others was that many were unsuccessful and had to steal to get food or make money to be able to get back home. “ A gang called the Hounds raided Chileno …show more content…
Some factors were that the livestock carried fleas and lice which carried deadly diseases (kuck 12). Back then there wasn't many medicines so if someone got a disease they were very likely to die.The diseases the miners caught during the Gold Rush were malaria, dysentery,typhoid. and cholera. These diseases were caught because of poor medical care and the way the way they traveled (kuck 12). This made a challenge for the miners to live, let alone pan for gold.” The oppressive heat and mosquito-infested area was miserable.(kuck 12). “ This made many miners give up and go home because it was so hot and infested with mosquitos. These factors made it very hard to pan and mine for gold which was the sole reason why many people went out to

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Essay On The California Gold Rush

...The California gold rush started in 1849 where over 90,000 people went to california to mine for gold but it was not easy as it sounds for the gold rushers.some challenges people faced when traveling to California during the gold rush were weather they should choose the sea route or the land route, lack of or too much supplies, diseases, and how it would impact California. The first thing the 49ers did for the land route was gather supplies for their trip to California. The supplies they brought were wagons, rubber inflatable beds, stoves, shovels, lanterns, barrels of water, medicine forks, cups and dry food took up most of their space on their wagons. During the land route They usually started from Missouri and “tried to cover the 2,200-mile journey in approximately 123...

Words: 497 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Women In California History

...“Major Problems in California History”, there are two decades in two chapters that share some similarities and differences. For example, Chapter 5 discusses about women playing a role during the California Gold Rush, while Chapter 8 discusses about women progressives who created and took part in the progressive movement in California. Both chapters take place in different decades, while Chapter 5 takes place during the 1850’s – 1870’s, Chapter 8 takes place during the early 1900’s. A similarity both of these chapters share is that both chapters discuss about women having a major role in two important decades in California. On the other hand, both chapters are different because they take place during a different time period in California....

Words: 814 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

California Culture

...Daniel McClure California Culture October 1, 2014 California Sunshine and Noir California, the Golden State, where the sun is always shining, the waves are always crashing, and dreams are coming true. Right? Well, not exactly. It hasn’t always been sunshine and smiles for the great state of California. The state has gone through a variety of stages both economically, and politically. Throughout these phases, there have been a fair amount of themes that have helped build the foundation of California culture. Of course, there is the notion that anyone can move to California and strike it rich. This dream that is still very alive today has contributed in the past and present with massive booms in immigration into California. This popular conception is warm and welcoming, but it does not tell the entire story of California. When looking into the past and understanding how this state came to be, there is a dark and iniquitous aura that suggests that California isn’t really that enchanting, glamorous place that it is made out to be. The California Dream all started in 1848 when discovery of gold sparked a rapid movement known as the California Gold Rush. Word quickly spread when John Marshall first made his discovery in the American River. As Albert L. Hurtado explains in his paper, “Sex, Gender, Culture, and a Great Event: The California Gold Rush, ‘It is impossible to give more than rough estimates for the number of hopeful people who poured into California from 1848 to the...

Words: 1459 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Gold Rush Informative Essay: Who Is Elsa Jane Forest Guerin?

...Faith Voisin Mrs. Harden 4 th/5 th Period 4 April 2024 Gold Rush Informative Essay Who is Elsa Jane Forest Guerin? Elsa, better known as Mountain Charley, was an example of how women were treated badly. She played a significant role in how women were affected and lived with this treatment. For a bit of background knowledge, the females who survived and made it to California were treated horribly by the men. During these times, there was not a good deal of jobs for them to do, however the wages were equal to those of men. On the downside, women were tricked, raped, and discriminated against. In my source, it says “Early in 1849 white miners from Oregon entered a Maidu village, raped several women, and shot the men who tried to resist” (Amplify Curriculum, page 615). This shows how women, of all races, were not seen as equals and were responded to with hatred....

Words: 513 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Western Experience

...history for my family. Living in California at the time gave plenty of opportunities for many miners because of the overflow of gold that had been presented. Before the discovery of gold in 1848, most of the West didn't belong to the U.S. Many Americans believed it was the country's "manifest destiny" to stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and President James Polk (1845-1849) was determined to acquire the Oregon territory from Great Britain and California from Mexico. He secured Oregon through a series of treaties, but California was a lot tougher (Elder, 2013). From January 1848 to 1860, the rivers that flowed from the Sierra Nevada produced a flood and abundance of gold. As soon as word passed around many people migrated to California in hopes of getting a piece of the “pie”. In 1849 almost one hundred thousand people came over from other places, while an estimated two hundred fifty thousand came by 1855. From San Francisco to China, from Australia to Western Europe, the social, economic, and political effects of California gold were profound. Among European nations, the impact in France and on the French was perhaps the most profound. Once it hit, gold fever attracted experienced miners from Latin America, laborers from China, investors from Europe, and speculators from Australia. Almost overnight, San Francisco was transformed from a tiny settlement of 1,000 in 1848 to a boomtown of 25,000 by the end of 1849 (the rush of gold prospectors eventually lent their...

Words: 902 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Pre-Civil War

...US History II Honors 16 September 2015 Pre-Civil War Essay The first cause of the American Civil War was the Mexican-American War in 1848. The Mexican-American war was fought in order to determine which country gained control over the south-western states. The south-western states include; Texas, New Mexico, California, and Arizona. In the end the Mexican-American war concluded with an American victory. At the same time the Mexican-American War was taking place the California Gold Rush was also beginning. During the Gold Rush people from all over the US were traveling to California in the hopes of getting rich. Due to the quantity of people to go to California all at the same time California qualified for statehood (based on their population at the time). Prior to the Gold Rush in 1849 the US had 30 states; 15 free states (north) and 15 slave states (south). By adding California the number of states becomes an odd number. The southern states (slave) wanted California to enter as a slave state, and the northern states (free) wanted California to enter as a free state. The Compromise of 1850 made California a free state, which made the south mad that they were now no longer even with the north.         In order to make the south happy since the north got California the Fugitive Slave Act was put into place. The Fugitive Slave Act was an act that said the north must help the south to retrieve their slaves who escaped to the north. The main problem with this act was that there...

Words: 1053 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Mexican War

...------------------------------------------------- Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo The Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoSo far from God, so close to the United States – Old Mexican SayingOn September 14, 1847 the Mexican flag was not flying over the Mexican capital. Instead, Mexico’s neighbor to the north had captured the country. How and why did the United States defeat Mexico in the Mexican-American War? To the victors went what spoils? This essay will answer these questions in a nutshell.Throughout the 19th Century, the United States was increasing in power and population while Mexico was stuck in chronic “political unrest, civil conflicts, depleted treasuries, [and] separatist movements” (Oscar J. Martinez, Troublesome Border [Tucson: the University of Arizona Press, 1988], 51). The U.S. was also heavily influenced by Manifest Destiny—the idea that the U.S. had the natural right to rule North America from coast to coast. Consequently, various presidential administrations in the 1820s and 30s sought to purchase land from Mexico, with no avail.In 1835, Texas battled and gained independence from Mexico; Texas was a sovereign country for the next decade (the Lone Star Republic). In the Treaty of Velasco, the Texas-Mexico border was established along the Rio Grande. Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (pronounced “Santana”) signed the treaty but the problem lied in the fact that the Mexican Congress did not ratify it,...

Words: 716 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Task 1

...Development and Diffusion of Human Society This essay reviews the development of human society in Mesopotamia, diffusion of the chariot, and the development of the United States of America. Development of Early Human Society in Mesopotamia It is widely recognized that human civilization began in Mesopotamia, before any other part of the world. This was regardless of the fact that life at the place was quite unpredictable (Brown, 2006). Mesopotamia is a Greek term, which means life between two rivers. Mesopotamia is a vast land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Its land was both ideal for settlement and challenging at the same time, which contributed to the civilization of its inhabitants. The most significant physical geographical factor in Mesopotamia was the presence of many plants and animals that could be domesticated (Diamond, 1997). The land had fertile soils, thereby providing a good habitat for the plants and animals. They resulted from deposition of top-level soils from upper land and mountains, through the rivers. The fertile soils and the abundance of food allowed the farming to flourish, which caused the increase in human population. A further complement for agriculture was the presence of fertile soils. The Mesopotamians faced various challenges, which also contributed to the civilization. For instance, the climate, which was semi-arid and marked with annual unpredictable floods between, was a major challenge. Therefore, as the population figured out how...

Words: 737 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Scinece

...Course: American Culture Goal: An overview of the main cultural, social, and political features of the United States. Students will complete reading assignments, participate in class discussions, as well as present on related topics individually in an effort to gain a basic understanding of the features of these countries. Book: American Ways: An Introduction to Culture, Third Edition, Longman Press, New York Course requirements Each week will include reading assignments, either from the book, or from other designated materials with will be provided. Students are responsible for keeping up with reading assignments in order to participate in classroom discussion on the topic. The instructor will lecture on each topic to highlight important information and guide discussion of the topics listed. 20% Individual Speaking Presentation Students will each deliver an individual speaking presentation on Topics related to American Life an Culture. The speaking presentations will be graded on their relevance, accuracy, academic quality, and the speaking skills of the presenter. The presentations should be of a length between 7-10 minutes. Presentations which are significantly shorter than the target time, or are of obviously poor quality will be penalized. 20% Participation This grade will include attendance and class participation. Students who are absent, late, or leave the class early will be penalized on this score. Also, students who are unable or unwilling to make a contribution...

Words: 555 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Compromises of 1820 and 1850

...In an essay that incorporates the textbook, lecture and power-point notes compare and contrast the compromises of 1820 and 1850. Slavery came about in America in 1619 (RN). It lasted through the American Revolution, even after Thomas Jefferson scripted his famous lines in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Clearly, slaves were not part of this included in Jefferson's words. When it came time to write the Constitution, the word "slavery" was never used. Instead, the framers chose to use the term "other people." These other people were counted as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in Congress according to the Three-Fifths Compromise (RN). This compromise kept slavery in the United States unharmed. The framers also decided not to do anything about the issue of slavery for twenty years. Prior to the American Civil War, many different compromises were made in an attempt to hinder the growing disagreements. However, this only extended the unavoidable events that would occur. The differences between North and South were far to great and compromise did not stand a chance at preventing the imminent conflict. This was most clearly shown in the ways in which the two main compromises: the Compromise of 1820, also known as the Missouri Compromise, and the Compromise of 1850 failed. In 1820 Missouri wanted...

Words: 2024 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The Bear Flag Revolt

...This essay will seek to identify one piece of world history that has been misunderstood by most of not all people around the globe. To many American historians, The Bear Flag Revolt is too fresh in their minds to forget it. The revolt took place in a span of one month between June and July of 1846 when a group of American settlers based in California felt the need to proclaim California an independent republic after revolting against the Mexican government. However, the efforts of these settlers did not last for long because as soon as after their rise, the American troops began to occupy California, and later on, it joined the union. To remind most residents of Napa and Sonoma, the mere use of the bear flag as the official state flag in California since 1911 is itself a big win for...

Words: 2220 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Polish Immigrants And Industrial Chicago Analysis

...and physical abuse. In addition, there always life the fear of police brutality. As Fernandez notes, “Residents of the Division Street area shard a pervasive belief that policemen were physically brutal, harsh, and discourteous to them because they were Puerto Rican.” Ultimately, in reading both works it becomes clear to readers that the city of Chicago, while long having had immigrants coming into the city, has had a complex and imperfect approach to its treatment of these communities. Indeed, both authors paint grim pictures for their focused group respectively. The stories of the Polish and Mexican and Puerto Ricans history in the face further dismantles the idea that history ahs been kind to immigrants coming into American cities. Essay 2: The story of immigration into the United States has been represented in many formats, including on film. Throughout this term, our class watched three films which portrayed the realities and hardships that entering American life entailed. One similar thread that connects all three films is the tendency of each films main characters to overstate their expectations for what life in America is actually like. In the first film watched, titled Hester Street, the story focuses on Jewish immigrants coming to the Lower East side of New York City in 18996 from Europe. Specifically, the film lays focus on Gitl, who, alongside her son, Yosselle, ventures to the city to live with her husband, Yankle. Yankle had made the journey to America prior and...

Words: 1805 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

California an Interpretive History - Rawls, James

...CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA An Interpretive History TENTH EDITION James J. Rawls Instructor of History Diablo Valley College Walton Bean Late Professor of History University of California, Berkeley TM TM CALIFORNIA: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY, TENTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2008, 2003, and 1998. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1234567890 QFR/QFR 10987654321 ISBN: 978-0-07-340696-1 MHID: 0-07-340696-1 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Publisher: Christopher Freitag Sponsoring Editor: Matthew Busbridge Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Editorial Coordinator: Nikki Weissman Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Carole Lawson Cover Image: Albert Bierstadt, American (born...

Words: 248535 - Pages: 995

Premium Essay

Chinese Immigrants In America

...Chinese Immigrants in America Starting in the mid 1800s, there were waves of Chinese immigrants flooding into America looking for a new life in a new country. They were pushed into manual labor jobs such as working on farms or owning restaurants because they would not be allowed to work anywhere else. They were discriminated against and were not welcomed because of their different skin color. There were also many restrictions regarding citizenship and how it affected both their families and the land that they own. My essay contains three main points about the Chinese immigrants in America are their difficulties in obtaining jobs in America, the discrimination that they endured, and the hardships of trying to obtain citizenship. The first...

Words: 993 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past

...This essay will review Peter Boag’s Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past (2011). This book highlights the missing histories of cross-dressers all across the American frontier, and gives readers a look into the lives of such individuals and how they were regarded and treated in society. Consequently, this paper will discuss the geographic and chronological scope of the book, and analyze the extent of the history of cross dressing practices and how they challenged heteronormative culture and myths about the Western frontier. Lastly, this essay will critically assess the effectiveness of sources used by the author and how they contribute to his arguments. The geographic and chronological scope of the book focuses on the era between 1850 to 1920,...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6