The Impact of the Gold Rush: Analysis
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of the Gold Rush in American history. Specifically it will discuss the impact the Gold Rush had on women, Native Americans, and minorities, along with which group benefited the most and which group benefited the least. Clearly, the California Gold Rush, which began in 1848, had an enormous impact on California and its people. It affected people in different ways, however, and not all actually benefited from the Gold Rush. Women, minorities, and Native Americans all took part in the Gold Rush, and they all added their own input to the overall Gold Rush experience. However, women, minorities, and Native Americans all suffered from discrimination and prejudice during the Gold Rush, and ultimately, it was the white men who most benefited from the Gold Rush, whether they were miners, businesspeople, or miners in the newly forming state. The California Gold Rush took place beginning in 1848, through about 1855. During that time, millions of people (mostly men) poured into the gold fields of Northern California and created a new world of opportunity for many. These "49'ers," as they were known (because most traveled to California in 1849), lived in spare q
According to the romanticized and very stereotypical version of Gold Rush history, the first women to arrive were principally prostitutes who accommodated lonely miners' needs and desires. One miner wrote of family life, "'Your letter goes to show,' John wrote back to Wade, 'that after I left they [miners] began to live in a more civilized way - got married, settled down, raised families, instead of keeping themselves in hot water striving to make a pile and leave; they settled down and lived like white folks'" (Johnson 275). These "respectable" women drove prostitutes were driven to the edge of town, and they took their places in most Gold Rush towns. As author Johnson notes, "Wage work among miners was much more prevalent after the initial boom, but when it occurred in the early years of the Gold Rush, it fell disproportionately to non-Anglo American men" (Johnson 186). Many could only find work in the saloons and gambling halls of the growing towns. ] As their number increased, the American miners grew resentful of these intruders who 'had no right' to gold that belonged only to citizens of the United States" (Holliday 305). In addition, as the state formulated laws and regulations, they increasingly rules in favor of the husband in property rights and other legalities. " The historians continue, "Beginning in 1849, with the attack on a Maidu village, American military units, militia groups, and vigilantes fought Indians in what essentially became a war of extermination" (Trafzer and Hyer 113). As with most aspects of society, minorities and the Native Americans suffered at the hands of the whites, and the impact of the Gold Rush on these segments of society was largely negative, and even deadly. Harkness informs us that a brother of his, who has just come down from the Upper Sacramento, brings intelligence that sickness prevails to a considerable extent among the tribes of Indians in the vicinity of the river" (Trafzer and Hyer 43). Finally, two other historians note the ultimate impact to Natives who lost everything during the Gold Rush. The natives were also not used to disease the whites carried and had built up immunities to, such as small pox and tuberculosis, and these diseases decimated many tribes. However, they might never get to actually enjoy the profits of their labors, since they had few if any rights in the new state. They had to create a new society, and learn to get along without women, who were largely absent from the settlements of the early Gold Rush. In addition, as it became more demanding for non-Anglos to work the diggings, they had to find other ways to make a living.
Common topics in this essay:
Gold Rush,
Spanish Mexican,
Trafzer Hyer,
Native Americans,
American Johnson,
gold rush,
Chinatowns Jewish,
Rush California,
Gold Country,
Northern California,
Jews Chinese,
native americans,
california gold,
trafzer hyer,
california gold rush,
impact gold,
impact gold rush,
rush towns,
gold rush towns,
native americans suffered,
minorities native,
minorities native americans,
rush women,
americans suffered,
laws regulations,
|
Acceptance Essays
