Forty-niners had it all. The gold, the money, and the easy access. But there were consequences that went along with the gold rush. A man named James was the first person to find gold. He soon told his partner, which had got the word out. And that's how the gold rush started. The forty-niners had to go through changes, made sure their gold didn't get stolen, and they had to watch out for diseases; These were the challenges the individuals had to face. The things that changed throughout the gold rush. “ Many californians who lived through the gold rush experienced a number of economic changes” (Mcgill,12). The merchants thought if they raised the prices of the supplies the miners would need, they would make more money. Also as more people arrived to California, crime had increased (Saffer, 1). The thieves wanted some gold and didn't want to dig for it or they just wanted to steal some to have more money. The forty-niners didn’t like that and since there wasn't any police officers, they had to make their own Justice system and for the people who got caught stealing had consequences. Another thing was there was many people …show more content…
The thieves that were petty and didnt steal alot just got whipped (Saffer, 2). If the thieves didn't cause harm or destruction they didn't get the bad part of the punishment. Another crime was if the robbers got caught then their ears got cut off (Saffer, 2). The ear cutting is too much of a punishment because thieves and robbers are the exact same thing they should get the same punishment. The robbers may steal from other people's property but at least give them a less harmful punishment. The last crime was criminals. Criminals that were murdered and stole large merchandise from people's property were hanged (Saffer, 2). Theses bad people did horrible things. There wasn't police around so the biggest crime got the worst punishment. These were some examples on how the forty-niners protect their
To accommodate the needs of the ’49ers, gold mining towns had sprung up all over the region, complete with shops, saloons, brothels and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold Rush fortune.
The gold rush not only attracted miners but people in search of new starts, whether that was from love affairs gone wrong, or debts. Some see this rush as a way to make an easy profit or fortune and settle down with new everything. Pikes Peak Gold Rush is one of the most known features in the region. It became a stepping stone that drew as many as 100,000 prospectors. With these prospectors, they brought over the slogan, “Pikes Peak or Bust,” in 1859–60.
They got the whole day off of work. On these days, the whole town would gather and watch as the criminal got his head chopped off. Everything at this time had more painful punishments, but not because of their lack of technology but because the leaders wanted you to learn your lesson. If someone lost a hand for stealing, they would most likely not do it again. Where as a commoner would lose their hand for stealing, a noble would only be placed in a pillory.
Vigilantism is the black eye on the history of the American frontier. During the 19th century due to a lack of trust, competence, or unreliable law enforcement, the settlers on the frontiers took it upon themselves to provide security and safety for their newly progressing cities. Life in the developing American west was difficult and created many problems for everyone involved. Texas’ history is riddled with skirmishes, wars, and feuds that called upon the local civilians to turn to vigilantism. So to, Arizona and New Mexico, while struggling to gain their statehood, saw instances of civilian uprisings to quell local violence. Of course, however, neither Texas nor the American Southwest saw the hotbed of violence and destruction that was seen in San Francisco following the introduction of the Gold Rush. The descriptions that were used to describe the excitement that the discovery of gold created could also be just as easily applied to the ways it affected the peoples mentality. “In 1848 and 1849 it was usually known as the ‘Gold Fever,’ the ‘California Fever,’ the ‘Yellow Fever,’ the ‘California Mania,’ and the ‘Gold Mania.” People from all over the globe were abandoning their responsibilities and duties for the chance of striking it rich and making a big splash. This dramatic influx of people, cultures, and beliefs into one location created the right mix of hope, frustration, anger, and pride that would lead to chaos and even though “San Francisco had the most efficient, most professional police department in the United States [during the 19th century]” it could not quell the need for vigilantes to rise up and provide order amongst lawlessness.
The life of an immigrant in the United States during the Gilded Age was a rough life. During this time period the U.S. went through a dramatic change in dealing with changing infrastructure and masses of people coming over from different countries for a chance at a better life. This time period was characterized by small wage jobs, poor working conditions and the struggle to survive. The Jungle embodies the themes of the Gilded Age with first hand experiences of an immigrant's hardships of life.
What do you think of when you hear the term “Gold Rush”? The 1849 gold rush in California?
During the Gold Rush of 1848-1849, California began to experience a large wave of Chinese immigration to the United States. Stories of the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill drew thousands of Chinese immigrants into North America from various parts of Asia. These immigrants, who were primarily poor peasants, flooded the “Golden Hills” we know as California in pursuit of better economic opportunity. To fill in the needs of the increasingly widespread mining communities in the West, many Chinese immigrants ultimately became merchants, railroad workers, agricultural laborers, mining laborers, and factory workers. Throughout the Gold Rush, members of the Chinese labor force played significant roles in both the social and economic development of the American West, particularly with regards to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
How would feel to be a multimillionaire in just a couple years, but you have to get the Klondike in Alaska. Many people took this challenge either making their fortune or coming up more broke than they already were. The Klondike Gold Rush played a major role in shaping peoples lives and a time in American history. My paper consists of 3 main topics: first, what people had to go through to get there; second, the harsh conditions they had to endure when they got there; and lastly, the striking at rich part or if at all they did get rich.
California was becoming known for its entrepreneurial opportunities; soon many were coming to California, not to work in the mining filed, rather to set up business and cater to the mining communities. Soon there were saloons, hotels, and red light districts spread throughout San Francisco and outer mining communities. Women who were forced to rely on men to support them back home, came to California and were able to work and support themselves in these towns.
California, the place to turn cant’s into cans 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.
The California Gold Rush in 1849 was the catalyst event for the state that earned them a spot in the U.S. union in 1850. This was not the first gold rush in North America; however, it was one of the most important gold rush events. The story of how the gold was discovered and the stories of the 49ers are well known. Men leaving their families in the East and heading West in hopes of striking it rich are the stories that most of us heard about when we learn about the California Gold Rush. Professors and scholars over the last two decades from various fields of study have taken a deeper look into the Gold Rush phenomena. When California joined the Union in 1850 it helped the U.S. expand westward just as most Americans had intended to do. The event of the Gold Rush can be viewed as important because it led to a national railroad. It also provided the correct circumstances for successful entrepreneurship, capitalism, and the development modern industrialization. The event also had a major influence on agriculture, economics, and politics.
The Gold Rush was one of the most influential times in California History. During the four years from 1848-1852, 400,000 new people flooded into the state. People from many countries and social classes moved to California, and many of them settled in San Francisco. All this diversity in one place created a very interesting dynamic. California during the Gold Rush, was a place of colliding ideals. The 49ers came from a very structured kind of life to a place where one was free to make up her own rules.
It is important to remember that actions have consequences. In Gold Mountain, the workers said they came to America for a better life. They had a difficult time getting into San Fransisco. In the end, it resulted with them getting trapped into becoming workers. Stated by one of the workers," I borrowed money to come to Gold Mountain. Immigration officers cross-examined me; no way I could get through. Deported to
The main techniques that the author Mark Twain uses to show you a little of what it is like to be in the Old West during the Gold Rush is contrasting East with West with the use of the characters and the use of language and plot are distinctly good examples of realism and regionalism. In late 19th century American society/culture, the East was known for being civilized, cultured, and advanced while the West was seen as less educated and refined and naive or easily duped. Mark Twain uses these bias/stereotypes in his characters. Simon Wheeler, a American Western storyteller, is a old uneducated man who tell tall tales in a monotone with no storytelling techniques and vernacular language and his use of vernacular language supports the stereotype
Punishing the unlawful, undesirable and deviant members of society is an aspect of criminal justice that has experienced a variety of transformations throughout history. Although the concept of retribution has remained a constant (the idea that the law breaker must somehow pay his/her debt to society), the methods used to enforce and achieve that retribution has changed a great deal. The growth and development of society along with an underlying, perpetual fear of crime are heavily linked to the use of vastly different forms of punishment that have ranged from public executions, forced labor, penal welfarism and popular punitivism over the course of only a few hundred years.