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Effects of the gold rush
California gold rush economic impact
California gold rush economic impact
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Effects of the gold rush
California gold rush economic impact
California gold rush economic impact
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Effects of the gold rush
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.
However, by 1850 the population had reached 92,597 people and by 1860 it had reached 379,994 people. This explosive change in population is one of the most obvious and direct effects of the Gold Rush. This huge migration, and the demand it created for better travel, is one of the biggest factors that transformed the methods of transcontinental transportation from dangerous and expensive to comparatively fast, safe, and much more comfortable. The wealth that the Gold Rush created is another important factor; California gold was used to finance many transportation projects such as the transcontinental railroad and it also created an economic incentive to establish more travel routes. Interregional trade developed between California and places such as China and Hawaii; these lines of trade were positively impacted by advances in transportation to
"It made my heart thump, for I was certain it was gold.” James Wilson Marshall upon finding gold at the base of Sierra Nevada Mountains. Before the United States had been birthed into existence, even before Colorado had been an idea that had been staked out and called a state, the land was quite open and dominated by the Native Americans. There wasn’t much of a drive for settlers to push into the rugged mountain country compared to their Eastern, developed counterparts. These mountain ranges and peaks were, for the most part, uninhabitable to those who didn’t have close ties to the lands.
In the 19th Century, there were strong supporters of the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was basically the belief of expansion by settlers expanding all over America because god supposedly destined the Americans for expansions by their resources. This resulted for the Americans to find a modern mode of transportation that would make traveling from the east to the west coast easier. This resulted in a mega construction known as the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad not only helps with transportation but with trading.
Even though it was before computers and phones, the information spread quickly across the country and started what is called Manifest Destiny. This will tell you about some of the important parts of the westward expansion. Gold Rush: The gold rush started in January 1848 in the city of Coloma California when a man named James Wilson Marshall found gold flakes in the American River at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. When he found the gold, he was working to build a water-powered sawmill owned by John Sutter. They tried not to tell anybody but word got out very quickly.
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.
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.”.
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 benefits of the Manifest Destiny outweighed the consequences. This is because the U.S was able to get more resources, increase population in the west, advance trade, and improve technology. These benefits have contributed to the economic development in the U.S. Furthermore, as the U.S were fulfilling the Manifest Destiny, they also imposed the Homestead Act, which helped evolve frontiers. The discovery of gold in the west, specifically, in California lured more people to the west.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
After President Polk confirmed the rumors of gold in California in 1848 (Oakland Museum Staff), around 250,000 people came to California in seek of the soft metal that could lead to a fortune: gold (The forty-niners). The California Gold Rush not only presented fortune, it presented a new idea of the American Dream: “‘one where the emphasis was on the ability to take risks and the willingness to gamble