Essay On The California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush is a very important time in U.S. history. Over 80,000 everyday people were on their way to California because they truly believed they would become wealthy and live happier. Although, forty niners did face some problems getting there, and living there as well. Individuals faced disease during traveling and within the city, ruthless robbers and gangs, and being in poverty. Forty niners were faced with many serious diseases while traveling that heavily impacted getting to California in good shape. In the article it says “More over, the lack of fruit and vegetables resulted in scurvy, a disabling disease caused by lack of vitamin C. People become weak, with swollen gums and sore joints.” Many forty niners fell ill with “Scurvy” on the brutal voyage to California from the lack of key vitamins the body needs to function right. Thousands and thousands of forty niners came down with diseases like, Typhoid, dysentery, yellow fever, malaria, and cholera. This is from the crowded crude

Robbers were known for burning down buildings like hotels that the forty niners were staying at so they wouldn't have time to take their gold and would be forced out of the building, then the robbers would look through the scraps of the building hoping to find a lost piece of gold. Robbers stole from the forty niners small camps and unprotected tents easily, taking whatever they could manage to find from them. In the article it explained “With no police force in California's cities, criminals from all over the world flocked to San Francisco. There they could commit crimes with little fear of punishment.” The city of San Francisco was a very easy target for gangs like the “Hounds” who stole from miners and caused chaos throughout the city by demanding free drinks and food from bars, shoplifting and murdering. Robbers and gangs were a big part of struggling during the Gold