California Gold Rush

California Gold Rush By Ava, Allison, Arjun, Chris, Cody and Steven

Key Vocabulary Words • Territory: a place owned and governed by a country. • Gold rush: a huge movement of people bring to find gold. • Forty-niners: one who went to California seeking gold in the gold rush 1849. • Cape: a point of land that reaches out into the ocean. • Clipper ships: were the fastest ship in the time. • Isthmus: a narrow piece of land that connects two larger land areas. • Swamp: a low wet area usually covered by shallow water. • Claim: n area a miner said belonged to him or her. • Industry: All the businesses that make one kind product or provide one kind of service. • Entrepreneur: a person who sets up a new business. • Free enterprise: a kind of economy in which people can own and run their own businesses. • Consumers: the people who buy a product or service. • Population: the number of people living there. • Vigilante: a person who takes the law into his or her own hands. • Discrimination: the unfair treatment of people because of such things as their religion, their race, or their birth place. • Technology: the way people use new ideas to make tools or machines. • Line Graph: a graph that uses a line to show changes overtime.

Major Events • Gold was found in California • Sam Brannan tells everyone he sees • President James Polk tells the entire country about the discovery in the American River • THE RUSH IS ON!!!!!!!!!! • Clipper Ships start making trips to California • People start turning into vigilantes Some people start discrimination • People start becoming enslaved and forced to dig for gold • Slaves began to buy freedom for them and all of their friends. • Hydraulic Mining was invented • Hydraulic Mining was made illegal by the United States Government

Major People • John Sutter: The boss of the man who first found gold in California • James Wilson Marshall: The man who first found gold in California • Sam Brannan: The man who spilled the beans on the secret about the discovery of gold • President James Polk: The president during the time period of the gold rush. He had to make lots of important decisions and laws • “Buckeye Diggers Matterson”: Creator of Hydraulic Mining • Slaves in general: Encouraged other people to use gold for bribery. They did this by buying their and their friends and families freedom from their masters

Time Period • 1848-1849: 1849, first person found gold • December 1848, President James Polk told congress about discovery • In 1849, Mifflin Gibbs set out to New York to search for gold. • 1852, thousands of Chinese also joined • 1/4 of gold seekers were immigrants. They came to California from Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia

Time Period (continued) • United States became a leader in producing gold in the 1850's • Before the Gold Rush began, San Francisco only had about 900 people. By 1849, it had 6,000 people. In 1850, more than 35,000 people filled the streets • California's population (not counting Native Americans) grew from about 14,000 people to about 100,000 in 1850. By 1852, its population had grown to about 250,000 people • In 1848 and 1849, miners could find simple tools. • By mid 1850's, however most of the gold that was lying on the top of the ground was found. • Sacramento had terrible floods in the 1850's. • In 1884, California made Hydraulic Mining against the law. • Population grew fast after the Gold Rush in 1848.

Time Period (continued #2) • In 1849, passengers sailed to New York. Some people suffered from a disease, although more than 40,000 passengers arrived • More than 45,000 people reached the goldfields by traveling overland in 1849

~~THE TEST SLIDE #1~~ What is Hydraulic Mining? • Mining that involves water • Shoveling • Drilling • Thieving (Robbery) What is an Isthmus? • _____________________________________________________________________________________ Who was the man who first picked up gold in California? • John Sutter • James Marshall • Bob Marley

~~The Test Slide #2~~ • Sam Brennan • True or False: People made an average of $100.00 per day • True • False • What is the name of people who try to make gold? • __________________________ • When was gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill? • September 8, 1849 • January 24, 1848 • August 10, 1848 • July 4, 1849 • True or False: John Sutter found gold • True • False

~~The Test Slide #3~~ • How long was the discovery of gold kept secret? • 6 weeks • 10 weeks • I day • Nine years • Who was President during the Gold Rush? • Ronald Reagan • George Washington • Bill Gates • James Polk

~~The Test Slide #4~~ 17. About how big was each miners claim or territory? __________________________________________ 18. Most miners got their money to buy things from the gold they found. Would you do it that way, or would you do it your own way? Explain what you would do and why you would do it. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BONUS QUESTION (Does not count on your test grade. This question was not mentioned in PowerPoint or Social Studies Book. Hint: The actual Rush happened in a tributary in that state). Which other American State had a Gold Rush? ______________________________________________________

California Gold Rush