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How Did The California Gold Rush Ban Chinese Immigration

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The California Gold Rush, one of the most influential time periods in American history, led to the development of the country as it is known today. “Gold!” were the words heard around the world when James W. Marshall discovered the gold at Sutter’s Mill, California, on January 24, 1848. As these words swept the nation nearly a year later in 1849, California reached its peak as over one hundred thousand miners made the dangerous journey in the hopes of striking it rich. Miners and citizens of California will mostly remember the gold rush as a time period of hard work and disappointment. Some will remember how their good luck resulted in riches beyond their imagination. However, some miners' experience was worse than just disappointment, the risk of death or illness, the exposure to racism …show more content…

They were met with violence and discrimination. Chinese miners suffered the most during the gold rush. The white miners expressed their frustration towards the Chinese miners. Prejudice towards the Chinese miners resulted in the passing of the Chinese exclusion act in 1882. This act strictly banned Chinese immigration for at least a 10 year period, this occurred because of the violence that was occurring to all the Chinese miners during this time period in California. The fact that a law resists a certain group from immigrating into the country is reason enough to say that the California Gold Rush was a negative event in American history. Before the miners could make it out to the California hills in search of gold, they had to make the journey west. However, the risk of death and illness while traveling to California and exposure to the Californian desert is another reason why the California Gold Rush seems to be a negative event in history. Many travelers did not even make it to California. Document 5, the “grave markers (drawing)” is an example of these unfortunate

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William Salazar Mr. Pacheco History 10 5-2-18 The First Century of California A lot of events have happened during 1848-1940 in California. Historical events such as the Gold Rush and the creation of the railroads, to the more controversial events such as the exploitation of workers, the many strikes that took place, and the monopolies of the railroads. But first, I will begin discussing about the Gold Rush, which began in the year 1848 and had a lasting impact in California.

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During the Gold Rush miners would dig up whole plots of land and search through them using a dredge, river or stream. This harmed the land and many areas are still ruined today, or pose an environmental threat. Mexicans and Asians came to California as laborers and were treated poorly. They were also exploited and had been taken advantage.

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This is event is know as the California Gold Rush. The Beginning The Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848. It began when a man whose name was John W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River while constructing a sawmill for John Sutter, who was a Sacramento agriculturist.

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This was one of the largest migrations America has ever experienced. The word of gold in California didn’t just spread across America, it spread all over the world. People from Mexico, Germany, France, and China alco came over and became a part of history. The whole demographic of California changed off this single discovery. It became the most diverse state in America where the population was 52% white, 30% Latino, 10% Asian / Pacific Islander, and 7 % African American.

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On May 6, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed a federal law prohibiting Chinese laborers to immigrate. This U.S. federal law was called The Chinese Exclusion Act. During the California Gold Rush, many Chinese immigrated to North America. As gold became harder to find, hostility built up towards Chinese immigrates. A combination of racism and misunderstanding of another culture cause fear that turned into hate.

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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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