California Gold Rush Essay

1295 Words3 Pages

The California Gold Rush played a huge role on the development of the United States. It affected towns, the economy, trade, population, cultures, and many other aspects of the country. People from all over the world came to “strike it rich”; some pursued on with that dream, and others just made a new way of life.
James Marshall was constructing a saw mill on the American River and happened to find the first pieces of gold in California. The exciting news was spread after Sam Brannan had a bottle full of gold and ran down the streets shouting with joy. The news captured many people's attention. Discussion about the discovery of gold were put into many newspapers, but many did not believe gold was actually found. People from all over the world started to plan their travels to California after hearing the fantastic news (Sheldon).
The journeys to California were not easy or safe. Three main routes were used to travel from all over the world, and all of them took over three months to reach California. During the travels many problems were faced; cholera killed many people because they didn’t have doctors to treat them like they do today. Sea sickness, bug infest, and weather made the journeys very unpleasant (Harvard).
Diversity in California was impacted most from the gold rush. Three hundred thousand immigrants had traveled to California by 1854; California became the thirty-first state in 1850 because of the huge population change (History Channel). Many different beliefs and over fifty different languages were developed; they are still practiced in California today. The streets of California are filled with different fashion, interactions with different people, and races (Lynch). Art reflects the differ...

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...9 travels through many important mining cities (Harvard). On January 24 every year, they celebrate the remembrance of the rush. “Eureka” is their state motto; it means “I have found gold”. The people from California get the reputation of the being risk takers. Tourists from around the world come visit monuments and see what everything was like. Today many opportunities are given, and people can pan out gold just like the miners used to do.
The California Gold Rush left behind both good and bad effects. Some people struck it rich, and some people just moved on with a new way of life. Railroads that were inspired to be built during the rush play a big role in today’s transportation. Diversity and the growth of cities were affected the most. The rush helped shape the whole nation as a whole and plays a huge role in the history of the United States.

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