The Move Westward The 49er’s

Who came to California?Life on the Mine

The Chinese

There be Gold in Thar Hills• Mexicans had discovered

gold before the famous strike on John Sutter’s Mill

• John Sutter is credited with discovering gold in California but it was really a hired hand named James Marshall

• Gold is discovered in 1848 on Sutter’s sawmill

There be Gold in Thar Hills

• 2 Reasons for the Gold Rush were:• A 16 oz gold nugget is

displayed in the Northeast and leads to immigration towards the west in search of riches

• Whites believe in Manifest Destiny

There be Gold in Thar Hills• Most 49er’s do not locate

gold and strike it rich they expected to pick gold of the ground

• A typical miner locates gold flakes not gold nuggets

• Most tend to give up after a couple of months or end up working for a mining company

Life on a Mining Camp• Once 49er’s arrived to

California they experienced• Disease• Danger from criminals,

Indian attacks and dangerous work

• Hard work and exhaustion• Uncomfortable conditions

Life on a Mining Camp• Miners have to contend

with high prices, gamblers and criminals

• San Francisco in 1845 had a population of 400 but after gold is found it increases to 32,000 by 1850!

• This lead to the scarcity of items which then lead to unusually high prices for example and egg might cost you $20!!!

Life on a Mining Camp

Who came looking for Gold?• 2/3 came from the

United States from all walks of life. They seek a new beginning based on economic opportunity

• 1/3 come are from South America, Mexico, Europe and China

Who came looking for Gold?

• The Chinese come because they are escaping war, poverty and unemployment

• They expect to strike it rich and return home to buy land and get married, most end up staying here

Who came looking for Gold?• They transport their culture

to California and encounter racism and discrimination

• Hatred is because the Chinese are hardworking and become the scapegoat for American failure during the Gold Rush

• Chinese immigrants take jobs that no American will do like cooking and laundry

Who came looking for Gold?• The Chinese are attacked

by groups called “nativists”

• To keep the Chinese from coming to the United States the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is passed that prohibits the immigration of Chinese into America

                                                                     

      

                                                                     

      

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Statehood for California

• It becomes a state in 1850

• California enters as a free state in the United States

• California upsets the balance of Congress seats on the side of the Northern states