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Explain why the Mormons settled in Utah and the issues that divided Mormons and the federal government Discuss the effects of the 1849 California gold rush Describe how California’s population had changed by 1850 Objectives
How did Mormon settlement and the gold rush lead to changes in the West? Focus Question
Mormons Settle Utah Before the end of the Mexican- American War, Americans had already started to settle in Utah These people were Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church was founded in NY in 1830 by Joseph Smith Smith said that heavenly visions had revealed to him these visions are described in the Mormon holy book called the Book of Mormon
Beginnings of the Mormon Church Grew quickly Followers were often in conflict with people outside of the church Mormons believed that property should be held in common Believed in polygamy, the practice of having more than one wife at a time Hostile communities forced the Mormons to move from NY to Ohio, then to Missouri and Illinois Joseph Smith was murdered in Illinois by an angry mob
On the Move West Brigham Young = new Mormon leader Realized Illinois was no longer safe Heard about Utah and led a party of Mormons along the hazardous journey west Despite the dry climate, Mormons were able to set up an efficient system of irrigation and survive
Conflict with the Government After the Mexican Cession, Utah became part of the U.S. Three issues divided the Mormons and the U.S. federal government Mormon Church controlled election process in Utah The Church supported businesses only owned by Mormons Polygamy was illegal in the rest of the country Issues were not resolved for more than 40 years Eventually, Congress passed a law that took control of elections away from the Mormon Church
Checkpoint Why did the Mormons leave Illinois and move west?
California Before the U.S. obtained CA – 10,000 Californios (Mexican Californians) lived on the territory A handful of wealthy families owned the land After the Mexican Cession, easterners began to migrate to California Wealthy Californios looked down on newcomers from East
January 1848 A huge number of settlers reached California James Marshall was building a sawmill on John Sutter’s land near Sacramento One morning, he found a gold nugget in a ditch The news spread like wildfire By 1949, the California gold rush had begun
Forty-niners The prospect of finding gold attracted 80,000 fortune seekers “Forty-niners” was a nickname given to these people who came in California in search of gold In just two years, the population of California increased from 14,000 to 100,000
Prospectors (Gold Seekers) Searched throughout Sacramento Valley for gold Dug up land, searched streams Gold above ground was quickly found, but more gold was found in underground deposits, or lodes (layers) Gold in lodes was difficult and expensive to mine Required expensive and heavy machinery As a result, companies took over the mining of underground lodes
Water Rights Water Rights = the legal rights to use water in a river, stream, or other body Much of CA is desert, and settlers needed water for irrigation and mining Landowners had the right to use water that flowed through their land It was illegal to cut off water to one’s neighbors In most of the gold territories, the law was ignored The first people to reach a stream used as much water as they wanted Disputes over water rights often erupted into violence
Life in Mining Towns Mining Towns = not very permanent places These towns attracted both miners and people hoping to make money from miners Miners were often willing to pay high prices for food and supplies California was not yet a state, so federal law did not apply within mining towns Vigilantes (self-appointed law officers) punished people for crimes, even though they had no legal right to do so
Role of Women Gold rushes were not like other migrations in American history Most migrations included both men and women, young & old Forty-niners, however, were mostly young men The ratio of men to women was 12 to 1! Unlike other areas of the country, California offered profitable work for women Women worked in or ran boardinghouses, hotels, restaurants, laundries, and stores
Drifting and Settling Few forty-niners got rich After the gold rush ended, many people stayed in the West They gave up their drifting life and settled in the West for good
Checkpoint Why were water rights an important issue?
An Unusual Mix of People Gold rush brought enormous ethnic diversity to CA People came from Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America 1860: population of CA was 40% foreign born Immigrants enjoyed more freedom in CA and less prejudice than in the East
Chinese Immigrants China’s economy was in trouble in the 1840s 45,000 Chinese men went to CA in search for gold This was one group of people who DID face prejudice in CA Generally not given higher-paying jobs in the mines Hired to do menial labor Despite difficulties, the Chinese worked hard Labor helped cities like San Francisco to prosper
African Americans Several thousand free African Americans lived in CA by 1850 Had own churches and newspapers Still did not have equal rights – could not vote or serve on juries HOWEVER, slavery did not take root in California
Native Americans For Native Americans, the gold rush brought even more tragedy Miners swarmed onto Indian lands in search for gold Vigilante gangs killed 2/3 of the Native American population of CA during the gold rush
Impact on Californios By 1850: only 15% of Californians were Mexican Old ruling families no longer had a say in government A heavy tax was placed on ranches They had to prove that they owned their land, which was difficult because most received their land from Spain or Mexico Even if Californios could prove their ownership, they had to sell their land to pay legal bills
Checkpoint What effects did the gold rush have on Californios?
Focus Question Re-visited How did Mormon settlement and the gold rush lead to changes in the West?