The California Gold Rush: The Rise Of The American Dream

"California presented to people a new model for the American dream-one where the emphasis was on the ability to take risks, the willingness to gamble on the future." announced by Samuel Brannan in 1848 through the streets of San Francisco. This quote relates to the numerous amount of people that traveled westward to achieve the American dream. California gold rush had short and long term effects on the people of the United States of America and surrounding areas that had unexpedectly changed America as a whole.

Short term effects of the California gold rush was extremely relevant and important in the development and change in the American society and country. The discovery of gold in California on January 24, 1848 marked the commencement of the change in development of America. People of America made the daring journey out to California to achieve the so called American dream. At this time period, the American dream was finding the opportunity of having succes and prosperity. For instance, a quarter of a million of the American populaton were driven to California turning this remote area into a cosmopolitan state. Without James Polk's announcement about gold have been discovered groups like the 49'ers or the Oregon Trail would have never been originated. The pioneer group called the 49'ers were derived from Jamestown, New York that were determined to find gold for their families back at home. 49'ers also had an incredible impact on causing California's population to dramatically increase over a course of two years by thousands. The Oregon

Trail involvement with the California Gold Rush was a change in American society. The trail itself was a passage for the gold-seekers looking for a safe,cost effective, and timely course to get to their American dream. Along with the Oregon Trail being safe it also had infestation of disease along the journey. A main disease among the horrendous journey is cholera which happened to kill around 1,500 people. Cholera was a disease that was spread throughout contaminated food or water that caused multiple deaths due to lack of medical resources on the trail. Momentarily, after making it to California the people have made the city of San Francisco to become a cosmopolitan city. California's culture had started to be a mixed area of cultures and ideas establishing a society. In this cosmopolitan society women that went along on the risky journey became prostitutes as an economic move to make a generous living. The short term effects of the California Gold Rush did aid in the importance of developing America while the long terms effects were mainly focused on the changes in the American society and country.
Long term effects of the California Gold Rush was greatly focused on the importance of change in the development of America. One of the main effects is the treatment of the Native Americans in California. For example, Peter Bernett the governor of California fancied the idea of the Native American race to go extinct. The federal government never rattified the treaties the Native Americans wanted because of the timing of the gold rush causing most to become beggars. Many of the Native Americans were hunted down like rabbits and squirrels to make more room for the miners and diggers. Later on, in 1862 the stock market was formated, it was a shift from the Indian enterprise to more of a labor system. Along with the formation of the stock market was the building of the transcontinental railroad. Even though the transcontinental railroad had risk of being created the government accepted it. To exemplify the governments acceptance to the idea they imported thousands of Chinese men to build the railroad because of their success on the Great Wall of China. Out of all the workers hired by the government 15,000 worked while 5,000 of the Chinese workers died in 5 years and on May 10, 1869 the railroad was completed. Although there was success of having the railroad built having made cheaper industrial possible, many that went out looking for the gold left California not fullfilling the American dream. The California did although bring freedom, happiness, and independence to those who embarked on the daring journey in hope to find some of the discovered gold. The California Gold Rush did create the one of the world's largest and fastest economy making a substantial change in America development and society.
The California Gold Rush was significant and relevant in the development of America and on the American people.

It brought a sense of freedom and independence on those who traveled, created a cosmopolitan in a short time frame. The gold rush made California into a state and enterprise. "Adventures began and ended there." which was once what Carl Nolte a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle said on the California Gold

Rush.