history homework hep

Szu-Meng Chien

004897616

Professor Long

History 146

September 7, 2016

Book Review: Daily Life during the California Gold Rush

Introduction:

In the book of “Daily Life during the California Gold Rush” wrote by Thomas Long, mainly discussed about that during the 1849 to 1855, many people are heading to California looking for gold and want to be wealthy. This has gave Californians a benefit of economic opportunities. The Argonaut came to California and digging for golds. This has made an effect on making California grew dramatically faster than others. This period of time is called a California Gold Rush and this is one of the most significant event in the United States history that brought a dramatic changes in the population growth, the territory and the economic growth.

Chapter 1:

Chapter 1 mainly discussed about the history of Californians before the gold rush event had occurred. Even though the Gold Rush has incredibly changed the environment of California, but many of those surroundings are changed before with the discovery of the chemical GOLD during the 1848.

Many people already visited California and they already inhabited by variety of people before the discovery of gold. They gather into groups and they create their own system of values which it leads to a change of the California’s environment. The Indians have already lived in California for over 10 thousand years ago. They are the first group who discovered California. They are the only people who live in California until the Spanish people came and began to colonize California in 1769. From then, there were over 300,000 Indians living in California representing over 100 tribes. It was a diverse collection of societies with distinct cultures and traditions. This all would change drastically with the arrival of the Spaniards.

Chapter 2:

In this chapter, it mainly talked about the transition of California. President Polk wanted to combine California and New Mexico together and make them turn to a part of the United States territory which leads to an initiated war. The United States was going to buy the territory of New Mexico but they rejected their offer, therefore, in 1846, the Congress draw a war on Mexico since they have Mexican troops go across the RIO Grande and they have entered the disputed territory that the United states had claimed before. They have fought for the next two years and the United States had defeated their neighbors as a contribution of the successful campaigns. During the 1848, Mexico lost their power and they lost their capital city. After that, a treaty was ratified by the United States Senate and the war was over. The treaty made United States earned the spacious domain which includes California and Mexico.

Chapter 3:

In this chapter, it mainly talked about the economic expansion, the population explosion with immigrants, and the rush to the statehood during the period of 1848 to 1850. California’s economy has grew incredibly high and fast during the Gold Rush of 1849. The growth is mostly made it possible by the policies of laissez-faire. The price of everything has risen dramatically since more and more people have found gold.

As the gold has widely circulated in the market. The merchants saw that their customers are able to pay at a higher price so they raise every fees on all of the commodities, starting from food to land and to transportations. The living style has changed dramatically. Newspaper, theaters, and other things are being built. Salaries rises which means that the standard livings rises since the economic expansion has created many jobs openings.

Chapter 4:

Chapter 4 mainly talked about the politics, discrimination, and the law. In the early days of the Gold Rush period, the crime rates is very low since everyone believes that they will be wealthy and rich and they don’t need to steal from others. However, everything turned around by the early of 1850s.

The gold rush attracted many crooks, claim jumpers, gamblers, bandits and they came to California to take advantages of the wealth. Taking someone else's claim, or "claim jumping," was common. Swindlers would also "salt" the ground, scattering a little gold around and then sell the land for lots of money. Therefore, violence and the crime rate was increasing tremendously; the law and the order was in the hands of the people.

Chapter 5:

In this chapter, it mainly discussed about the expansion of entrepreneurialism in California. Most of the people who got the greatest benefits with the gold rush are not miners, they are the entrepreneurs who open up companies and providing supplies and services to the miners. Sam Brannan was the first millionaire in California.

The richer people use those money that they got from the gold rush to open up stores and companies, then they profited from the miners at an extremely expensive price. Notable among those in the business of "mining the miners" were Levi Strauss, whose miners' trousers—tailored of heavy cotton cloth, with riveted pockets to hold heavy ore without tearing—have since become the quintessential American fashion item, and "The Big Four" Sacramento merchants—Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington, and Leland Stanford—who parlayed the capital accumulated in their grocery and hardware stores into a transcontinental railroad empire.

Chapter 6:

In chapter 6, it mainly discussed about the civil war that closely related to the California Gold Rush, and the social unrest that happened during the Gold Rush with the Chinese immigrants. California is geographically isolated away from the rest of the states when the war outbreak. If reaching from the east coast, it will take about half of a year to reach California or they would have to take the risk to go around the Cape Horn by ships. After the attack on the Fort Sumter, they is a big wave of patriotism has motivated many men to involve in the regiments and most of them are from the pro union counties. The supporters of the union held a very large rallies all over the state and especially in the San Francisco.

When the war outbreaks, the United States government has distributed extra military security and protection to the area of San Francisco. As the war prompted an increased need for California gold to back the nation’s currency and control inflation, the shipments of gold out of the Golden Gate increased.

In order to protect the San Francisco Bay, the military fort and strengthen the Fort Alcatraz and Fort Point. Other reasons for the military to protect the Gulf. The military had other reasons to protect the Bay Area. There are also concerns, the United Kingdom, who would have only strengthened its military presence in the Pacific, might try to take over California and the United States is preoccupied with the Civil War east. Even if Britain does not want to California itself, and they may be formed with the federal and San Francisco are vulnerable to attack real attention from the British Navy League.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, California Gold Rush is one of the most significant event in the United States history that brought a dramatic changes in the population growth, the territory and the economic growth. Although it related to many other significant events like the social unrest, the increased of crime rate, and the civil war; however, it changed many people’s life style and it also changed the world.

Works Cited

Maxwell-Long, Thomas. Daily Life during the California Gold Rush. Santa Barbara: Greenwood, ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2014. Print.