California Gold Rush
In an obscure valley by the American River, a fortuitous stumble over gold dust would change America. The dream to acquire wealth in a matter of months became a reality for few, and out of reach for a hopeful multitude. In the early 1840's, California was a removed outpost housing a handful of residents. Less than a year after the unexpected discovery in 1848, people crossed oceans from Europe, Asia, and South America on ships destined to California. In towns all over the United States, merchants closed their shops, soldiers abandoned their positions, and farmers deserted their fields. The title for the miners "49ers" arose from the year 1849, when they embarked on their journey. The moment a man stepped towards California, he left his home, family, security, and everything that was familiar to him. He traveled alone, knowing nothing about the wilderness, frontier life, and driving covered wagons. All he knew was that gold was waiting there at the end of his trek. Hundreds of thousands of these men hustled to the Pacific Northwest during the mid- 1800's. Being uninhabited, the newly born towns were lawless and barbarous, as class society of the east was absent. Without women, the men were rough. They reve
Chinese as being dishonest and greedy. Laws passed by East on foot were ill-prepared for frontier life. The city folks were inexperienced with shooting, riding horses, and wild animals. Plodding at painfully slow speeds in covered wagons, the men often got lost. Most potent was the lack of water on the hot, dry trail. Several men died of dehydration. Their communities depended on cooperation and self- digging and panning dirt. The burst of gold quantities in The miners experienced anguish of failure in the new frontier. They were homesick and desperate men, and pride kept them from going back home. Their frustration was directed towards the foreigners, who were easy to lash out against. They were competing with the foreigners for gold and success, and there was not enough for everyone. The plight of the 49ers spiraled out of control, and so did their respect for humanity. Caught up in a drive for riches, the white men were in no mood to tolerate any opposition or to worry about whose land they were on, whose streams they were fouling, whose burial grounds they were defiling. In 1845, around 300,000 Indians inhabited the Sierra region (Seidman pg 124). In a couple of years, the number was reduced to 50,000. A harmonious way of life was swept away swiftly and cruelly. Never has a race been more vilified and misunderstood than the Californian Indians.
Some topics in this essay:
South America,
Throughout Sierra,
Pacific Northwest,
Chilean Frenchmen,
Peter Burnett,
Stanislaus Calaveras,
Captain Jack,
Yuba City,
Sierra Mountains',
American Indians,
gold rush,
california gold rush,
california gold,
captain jack,
bighorn sheep,
cheap labor,
hydraulic mining,
towards foreigners,
californian indians,
foreigners gold,
intense racism,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 2802
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
More Essays on California Gold Rush
Professional Papers: |
CUSTOMER SERVICES
|
|
Saved Papers
You haven't saved any papers.
|
Example Essays Home
