Essay On The California Gold Rush

"California presented to people a new model for the American dream—one where the emphasis was on the ability to take risks, the willingness to gamble on the future,” writes H.W. Brands, historian and educator of U.S. history. The gold rush, the event responsible for bringing several immigrants to California in search of gold, clearly displayed the idea of Manifest Destiny, the idea that the U.S.’ expansion was a given right. While the gold rush may have impacted history, not all of these effects were good. Through the gold rush, the environment was negatively affected and several Native Americans were pushed out of California. When gold was discovered in California during 1848, it acted as a renewal in the adventurous spirit of several Americans.

As stated in ABC7 San Francisco’s article “The Environmental Results of the California Gold Rush,” mercury that was used to extract gold from quartz, a method known as hard rock mining, has resulted in modern-day California having “millions of pounds of mercury” in their environment. Another method used to mine gold was hydraulic mining (Fryska 6). Rocks were blasted away through fast-moving water in order to reveal the repressed rock (Fryska 6). In order for this to work successfully, much water is required. “Massive systems of levees

Gold Rush Nuggets’ edition “5 Little-Known Facts about the California Gold Rush” also claims, “[the] population of 150,000 Indians dramatically dropped to just 30,000, with only 20% of the original population staying intact.” Clearly, the gold rush’s idea of Manifest Destiny and everyone being entitled to their “claimed land” left negative impacts on Native Americans and essentially wiped out most tribes. While the idea of Manifest Destiny during the gold rush did lead to exploration and immigration, it also lead to environmental issues and the termination of several Native American