Gold Rush

While California was still under the

control of Mexico, they attempted to
increase the population and prosperity of
the region by granting foreign immigrants
permission to establish colonies.
Swiss immigrant, John Sutter, was one
of these men settling in the Sacramento
River Valley
After the Mexican-American War, the
U.S. gained control of California and
American emigrants were slow to settle
the new region because of the long,
difficult journey
 Gold Rush
Gold was discovered near
Sutters Mill in the
January of 1848
Though he tried to keep
the discovery secret, the
news soon spread like
wild fire across the region
Gold Fever would bring
90,000 goldseeking
emigrants to California
 Gold Rush:49ers
Gold-seeking emigrants to California
named for the year (1849) that saw
a flood of new arrivals from across
American and the globe
Almost entirely all men, many
abandoned farm and family and had
little to no mining experience
Very few would make their fortune
and most would stay in California
and helped build a stable frontier
society *Among these men, was
Samuel Clemons, who would later
take the pseudonym, Mark Twain
 Boomtowns/Wild West
Boomtowns formed over the
span of a few days out of
necessity from the 49ers.
Most of the merchants made
more than the gold miners
Vigilantes developed
because of the robberies and
thieves.
They often took things into
their own hands.
 Impact of Cali Economy
The gold rush more than doubled the
worlds supply of gold and also the
wealth of the United States.
Brought in tens of thousands of
immigrants creating jobs in
manufacturing, commerse, and services
Discovered but just a few months
earlier, this windfall of wealth would
have belonged to Mexico
However, admission into the Union with
a constitution that banned slavery
would provide yet another crisis in
Congress to be resolved by Henry Clay
 Impact of Cali Economy
As a result of the massive emigration,
the population would explode enough
to make the territory eligible for
statehood in just over one year; its
constitution would ban slavery
The modest seaport of San Francisco
would grow from a population of a few
thousand to over 100,000 in two years
as hotels, stores, saloons, warehouses,
and shipping wharfs sprung up
overnight
The California economy would boom
through trade, shipping, farming, and
ranching
 Issue of slavery resolved
Compromise of 1850
Again, Henry Clay strikes a
compromise (his final and most
important)
The Compromise of 1850 permitted
the admission of California as a free
state, all other territories within the
Mexican Cession would be up to
residents (popular sovereignty)
The slave trade would be stopped in
Washington DC (seen by many as a
blight on the Capital)
Most consequently, a more powerful