Hello from the USA! As I am representing the West Coast specifically, I will write about a major historical event that took place on the West Coast, in California to be more precise, and that shaped much of America.
In 1848, the first gold nugget was discovered in California’s Sacramento Valley by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill. Soon after, thousands of miners moved to San Francisco and neighboring regions by land and sea, all hoping to “strike it rich” by discovering more gold. When gold was found, cries of “Eureka!” were shouted through the air, which soon became one of the main mottos of the California gold rush.
Known as the Gold Rush of 1849, it would have many effects, both positive and negative. One beneficial result of the gold rush was the economic development that it stimulated. With the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, a shift in society away from agricultural processes needing much human labor to a greater focus on manufacturing processes with advancements in technology, the gold rush would give the final boost to help stabilize the United States’ economy and enable it to grow even stronger. On a more regional scale, the 1849 Gold Rush resulted in a huge population increase in California, as well as an improvement of its infrastructure, which could be paid for with the new source of wealth. All of this would contribute to California’s acceptance as the 31st state of the United States of America on September 9th, 1850.
These positive effects, however, would come at the expense of thousands of people, specifically Native Americans. One detrimental effect was the attacking and pushing of indigenous peoples off of their lands. As many gold seekers came, they sought to expand the mines and lands where gold was being looked for. This expansion took away the homes of many Native Americans. Huge amounts of natives were killed, creating what is now called the California Genocide where thousands of indigenous people were killed by the US government and private citizens during the 19th century.
Overall, California’s 1849 Gold Rush would have a huge impact on the West Coast and the rest of the United States, as well as on the daily lives of people living in the new state.
- Camille Roussel - USA (West Coast)
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