Americans Rush West Chapter 13, Section 5

Setting the Scene In 1848, exciting news reached China: Mountains of gold had been discovered across the ocean in California. Though they risked being beheaded if they were caught leaving their country, tens of thousands of Chinese people fled their homeland to chase their dreams in California.

The largest group to move into the Mexican Cession before the gold rush were the Mormons. Mormons belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The church was founded by Joseph Smith, a New York farmer, in In New York, Smith attracted many followers. Mormons Settle in Utah

Smith was energetic and popular, but his teachings angered many of his neighbors. Angry neighbors forced the Mormons to move west. Wherever they moved though, angry neighbors forced them further west. Mormons Settle in Utah The Mormons even had to flee Nauvoo, a town they had built for themselves in Illinois.

When Joseph Smith was killed by a mob, the Mormons made Brigham Young their new leader. Brigham Young realized that to escape religious persecution, the Mormons would need to find refuge far to the west, in Utah. A refuge is a place where people are safe from persecution. Mormons Settle in Utah

Starting in 1847, over 15,000 Mormons journeyed to the Great Salt Lake. In Utah, the Mormons had to learn to survive in the desert. Their new home was similar to the Holy Land in the Bible. The Mormons dug irrigation ditches and created Salt Lake City as their home in the desert. Mormons Settle in Utah When their wagons broke down on the Mormon Trail, pioneers had to haul their belongings on hand carts.

Salt Lake City grew rapidly, but, like other white settlers, the Mormons took over Native American land and usually paid nothing for it. By 1850, Congress recognized Brigham Young as the Governor of Utah Territory. As non-Mormons moved to Utah, more religious trouble broke out, but it mostly settled down by the time Utah became a state in Mormons Settle in Utah

California’s Gold Rush In 1848, John Sutter was building a saw mill just outside Sacramento, California. While his crew of men dug a ditch, Sutter noticed, “… my eye caught a glimpse of something shining in the bottom of the ditch. I reached my hand down and picked it up; it made my heart thump, for I was certain it was gold.” Sutter’s Mill

Gold Strike at Sutter’s Mill Sutter tried to keep his find a secret, but failed. Within days, news reached San Francisco that gold had been found at Sutter’s Mill. Carpenters threw down their saws, bakers left bread in their ovens and teachers and students bolted from class to join the gold rush. People from all over the world caught ‘gold fever.’

Working the Gold Fields Over 80,000 people from all over the U.S., China, Australia, Europe and South America rushed to California in These miners became known as forty-niners. At first gold was easy to find; miners could dig it out with a knife. Later, they panned for it in riverbeds.

Life in California Very few forty-niners became wealthy. Most went broke in the mine fields and struggled to survive. Most 49ers left the minefields, but stayed in California and worked in different jobs. Women joined the gold rush too. Many owned bakeries, boardinghouses or laundromats in California.

Almost overnight, towns like Sacramento and San Francisco went from sleepy little towns to giant cities. Greed led some forty-niners into robbery and murder. As crime grew in mining camps, some miners became vigilantes (self-appointed law enforcers) and dealt out punishment to those even suspected of crimes. A New State

Californians realized that they needed a stronger and less reckless government. In 1849 they asked to be admitted to the U.S., but their request caused an uproar – would California be a free state or a slave state? After heated debate, California entered the Union as a free state. A New State

A Diverse Population The gold rush brought diverse groups of people to California. Before the Mexican Cession, there were already many Mexicans and Native Americans living in California. Both of these groups faced serious hardships because most 49ers were white Americans.

Much of the Mexican culture was preserved in the California’s constitution, but many Mexican Americans were driven off of their family land. Native Americans suffered the worst. They lost most of their land and many died of starvation, disease or murder. 4/5 th of California’s Natives had died by A Diverse Population

The Chinese faced great prejudice in California. They were often driven off from their claims in the gold fields. The Chinese worked hard to help build California – they drained swamps, dug irrigation ditches and helped build railroads.

Free African Americans also joined the gold rush, and some struck it rich. California actually had the richest African American population of any state. However, free blacks faced discrimination and were not given equal rights during the gold rush. For example, black people could not testify against whites in court. A Diverse Population