On January 24, 1848
James Marshall discovered gold in California.
More gold was soon found in streams flowing out of the Sierra Nevada. These discoveries
caused one of the greatest migrations in U.S.
history; it even earned the name the California Gold Rush. Thousands of people
poured into California
each day, hoping to find a fortune in gold. However, the journey to California
was very dangerous so most of the gold seekers pouring in were young men.
And the gold seekers were not all of one nationality either, only
two-thirds were American. The other third consisted of Mexicans, Europeans,
South Americans, Australians, Chinese, and of course African American who
were most likely brought over as slaves to other gold seekers. The Chinese
really came rushing in; by 1851 every one in ten miners were Chinese. They were
actually very profitable too. The Chinese miners would take over the sites
where the easy gold was gone and come out with tons of profits.
In
1850, California
had achieved a large enough population to apply for statehood. They were
admitted as a free state,
which meant that all of the enslaved African Americans became free.
Unfortunately, statehood also meant that Americans
could disrespect the original residences rights and steal their land.
Plus, Native Americans were again pushed out of their land and killed by white
people diseases. Statehood changed California
in other ways then land ownership. California
passed a tax on foreign miners, the port city of San Francisco
became a center of banking, manufacturing, shipping, and trade, Sacramento
became the farming region, and the population exploded creating a large
demand for water. California's
statehood affected people on a national level as well. Free states
were now the majority and this threatened the south's slavery. The survival of
the Union
was now on the line.
