French Involvement In The California Gold Rush

The People of France in the last part of the 18th century were experiencing severe food shortages, increasing the cost of living, and political leaders who were doing very little to fix the state of chaos in which most people found themselves. In both rural and

Gold is a very precious metal that with in any community is pressed very highly. To a surprise to several, after the United States won California from Mexico. A land owner had found several pieces of gold along the river bed of the San Francisco. Circumstances lead to this land owner not wanting to reveal this information to the world. Nevertheless, the information was spread so began the Gold Rush in California. This magnificent event gave light to great change but was it the right move for progress and growth for the new founded country the United States. Growth in my eyes is defined as the increase of wealth among all the population that is living in a general area. Wealth should be defined as in a way where a family can live with good

The California Gold Rush was a spectacular time for California. It occurred from 1848-1855. Many, many people migrated to California to find the gold that was said to be there. This changed California from a dreary and unpopulated place to a thriving and happy place to be. Not everyone struck it rich, though, not even the person who discovered it, James W. Marshall. California’s motto, Eureka, is a reference to the Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush was a life-changing event for many people and is still thought of today.

When the time hit France during the French Revolution there were many rough times for people during the 25 years they were fighting. During the French Revolution the people were living in harsh conditions. People were going poor they couldn’t afford things, the middle class was getting robbed of paying taxes, and the working class couldn’t start the French Revolution.

     The California Gold Rush of 1849 is one of the most interesting and exiting events of the United States. From the wild stories of men striking it big, to the heart wrenching tales of people losing everything, these are what make it so alluring. There are many aspects of the California Gold Rush; effects on California; individual stories of struggle; and effects on the United States as a young country looking for stability.

The first gold rush that happened in the United States was in California. This was in 1849 when a man named James Marshall found gold while he was building a sawmill on his property. After this speck of gold was found the word spread around California. Once the word was through California and other people started finding gold the news got to the 11th U.S. president, James Polk. James then sparked the gold rush by announcing that gold was being found in California without a problem, “You'll find it anywhere you dig down there.”. One year earlier Mexico gave up the California territory at the end the of the Mexican-American War. The sudden change of land ownership caused conflict between the Mexican Americans and the Californians.

California, the place to turn cant’s into can’s and dreams into plans. The same situation and scenarios apply to today and even over one hundred and sixty five years ago. Then and now are not so different, people are thriving or failing from the land of plenty, supplying themselves with knowledge, wealth, or skill to either spread their wings and take flight or crash and burn. Each state in the United States of America has a correlating nickname to either why it’s famous or an explanation of its history. California’s state name is The Golden State, and going all the way back to 1849 is why this was such an influential time for California and all of America. This is the period of the Gold Rush. Reasons why this event was so impeccable, to the development of California, are the years leading up to the discovery, the first findings, the journey, and so much more.

California would not be the same as we see it today if it was not for the California Gold Rush of 1849. Around one hundred fifty thousand migrated to this territory over the course of three years, being one of the world’s largest migrations in history. The wealth gained by the “Forty-Niner’s” in this era provided the opportunity for the creation of the economic powerhouse we see California as today. The California Gold Rush is a very complex topic to understand. There is a common misconception of it simply being a time of profit or loss by miners digging for gold. When instead, the Gold Rush was a time when “Gold Fever” was a common sickness of people around the world, people of all ages and color striving to meet their dreams of success and fortune. This migration of miners is best understood when California’s history before the Gold Rush, the chaos over land ownership and lack of authority, and its short term and long term impacts are extensively analyzed (4).

The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands, and Latin America, and they were the first to start flocking to the state in late 1848. All in all, the news of gold brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately half arrived by sea and half came overland on the California Trail and the Gila River trail.

Gold is the catalyst for numerous events that develop the American economy just before the Civil War. Mankind appears to have a passionate, enduring, and daresay destined obsession with gold and mineral wealth. A gold rush is a force of nature that seems to shake up a culture just as much as an economy. This is evident particularly in early to middle 1800’s America where there is already this grand ideal that divine providence wills for a massive expansion of American territory. The introduction of gold into this equation contributes exponentially to what is by this time a borderline American Revolution in its own right. The American gold rush (or rather the gold rushes) spawn an enormous migration movement that leads to several lasting communities; many of which will eventually become states. The subsequent surge in the country’s economy stirs political and economic discussions nationwide, and an American Middle Class continues to emerge in the rapidly changing antebellum United States. Gold is the facilitator for all of these events (and more) as the American economy grows just before the Civil War.

The outbreak of mining destroyed the environment that the Native Americans had lived off, and quickly made it nearly unlivable. During the 1850’s these Native Americans strongly depended on nature as a source of clothing, trade and food. The discovery gold was a nightmare for the Native Americans, but a gift to others. The Chinese used the gold rush as an opportunity to seek fortune and to leave devastation in their homeland of China. Very similar to the Chinese, Blacks, used this event to gain wealth or even in some cases to buy their freedom from their owners, for example Alvin Coffey in 1850 . The Gold Rush channeled people from all around the world into California. However, it was the individual goals of each ethnic group and the obstacles they faced, which determined the outcome of this epic economic

The Gold Rush impacted the nation in another important area other than the economy: the issue of slavery. The immigrants to California were of very diverse nationalities and races. There were

In 1849 gold was found in the American Southwest, and the great California gold rush began. Soon gold some nuggets but mostly dust was being shipped to San Francisco Los Angeles and eventually the world beyond. As shipments of gold dust by stagecoach increased attempts to waylay them by gangs of desperate vicious highwaymen increased as well. Charley Parkhurst a stagecoach driver in California widely known for his driving skill was hired to deliver shipments of gold dust. On one trip Charley was stopped by a gang of tough violent outlaws. Charley despite his misgivings gave up the express box on demand but added "I wasn't expecting this but the next time you stop me I’ll be ready for you." Charley was too. Soon afterward Charley was stopped by another gang of outlaws.

The gold rush started in January 1848 and ended in 1855. Gold was discovered in the American River at Sutter's mill in 1848. James Marshal was working at the mill that day when he found a shiny glow. He reached down in the water and picked up the shiny rock and it was gold he saw another and another then he ran to John Sutter's fort when he got there James Marshall and John Sutter went into a secret room and researched the shiny rocks and they determined the shiny rocks were Gold! They both wanted to keep it a secret but the a local newspaperman over heard them and ran to town and yelled gold in the American River! Then he became the richest man alive by selling tools for the miners. That's how the gold

There have been many discoveries that have shaped our nation as a whole. Discoveries have allowed our country to thrive and become one of the most powerful nations in the world. When we look back at our nation's rich history, it is clear to see that there was one discovery in particular that had a vast impact on the United States; the discovery was gold in California. It was in this vastly unoccupied territory that the American dream was forever changed and California emerged as a powerful state busting at the seams. The California Gold Rush shaped California into the state that it is today. California is defined by its promise of entrepreneurial success and its acceptance and encouragement of obtaining the American Dream.