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THESIS

More than 300,000 Americans will travel to California in hopes and dreams of striking it rich in the California Gold Rush of 1848–1855. The Cailfornia Gold Rush, is a prime example that there are many myths and fabrications regading the American Dream.

THEME

The California Gold Rush relates to the theme “debate and diplomacy” by the myth of the gold rush and the reality of the gold rush. The myth explains the American dream of how you can just easily become rich without working for it. The reality is you can't just become rich and you have to work for your money. The California Gold Rush proves that because it shows that if everyone was rich, there would be no structure in the world and our lives would be a complete mess. Some examples of people who became rich from the gold rush and Leland Sanford and Levi Strauss. They both got a boost from finding gold in California, but they both also worked hard to get where they were in their prime. ¨Stanford was a successful merchant and wholesaler who built his business empire after migrating to California during the Gold Rush.¨ The California gold rush is connected to diplomacy because it was inspired by the Homestead act of 1863. It is connected to the homestead because the government encouraged people to go mining for gold by giving the gold miners cheaper land to live on out west.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The California Gold Rush, Rapid influx of fortune seekers in California that began after gold was found at Sutter’s Mill in early 1848 and reached its peak in 1852. According to estimates, more than 300,000 people came to the territory during the gold rush. The native americans got slaughtered by the miners. And the minors forced them to pay high taxes, chased them out of the area, and enslaved them. The rivers got clogged with sediment. Forests were logged to provide needed timber, and the land was torn up. The gold was then founded by James W. Marshall. Even though the Califonian gold rush was a big thing in history it was not the first gold rush ever in American History. The gold rush was the largest mass migration in U.S. history. Though many people wanted the gold, it was a male-dominated event. The gold rush attracted many immigrants from around the world. Even though the miners found the gold, more fortunes were made by merchants than by miners.

EVIDENCE 1

So many people benefited from the California gold rush and one of those people was Sam Brannan. Sam Brannan would charge the miners for overpriced food which made him very wealthy (spartacus-educational). This is a prime example of the American dream. It shows us that you can scam people into thinking they are getting a good deal on something yet you are really the one becoming rich. John Sutter and James Marshall went into partnership in the building of a sawmill at Coloma, on the South Fork of the American River about 115 miles northeast of San Francisco. Levi Strauss was also someone who benefited from the California Gold rush because after he got rich, he created the first pair of blue jeans. He really bloomed after that and now we have blue jeans. The California gold rush helped this because it helped Levi get the money to make the blue jeans, and start his business. When LeLand Stanford and his wife lost their only child, Sandford decided to build a university. With money and hard work he created one of the most successful universities in the world. This shows that money can help you be very successful.

EVIDENCE 2

Levi Strauss is an important business man who created the first pair of blue jeans. He profited from the gold rush because he sold his jeans and fabrics to miners mining gold and then got money to create more blue jeans and articles of clothing. He shows us that if you put your mind to something you can do a lot. Levi Strauss is connected to the California Gold Rush because he sold blue jeans to miners which made him money so he could start the Levi Strauss business. Levi Strauss is connected to the idea of the great American dream because he shows how you can make money off of others and he still had to work hard to get where he ended at his prime. Levi Strauss was willing to take risks and trust his luck and start one of the most successful companies in the United States of America. When Strauss was making his business he faced religious discrimination so it was hard to make it and still be succsesful. Strauss was Jewish and they couldn’t live in certain places and neighborhoods because of his religion. The places him and his family could live in had special taxes on the homes which made it harder for them to live normal lives. Strauss is a great example of someone who didn't benefit from the idea of the American dream because he had to work hard and struggle with many things to get where he was. He didn't get many opportunities handed to him. He had to block out what other people thought of him and do what he thought was right. Even though he had to block out others' thoughts and opinions about him, he didn’t let that stop him and his business. He then carried the business to his two nephews and had them work under him. He continued to be kind and generous to those in need and provided 28 scholarships to the University of California in 1897. Unfortunately, Strauss died at the age of 73 on September 26, 1902. After his death, his nephew Jacob Stern took over the business. His jeans that he helped create continued to grow more popular and have remained a major addition to fashion through the decades.

EVIDENCE 3

LeLand Stanford was a very successful businessman. He was one of the founders of the Central Pacific railroad company. He also served as California’s governor and U.S. senator. He became wealthy after working on many different railroads in the 19th century. Leland never refers to himself with his given name, which was Amasa. He went to school in the town Cazenovia. He also studied law in Albany, and after law school he moved west in 1845 to open a law practice in Wisconsin. Political maneuvering is what gave Stanford his wealth. Leland is best remembered today, however, not for corruption, but for a tribute to his only child. This was one of the most successful colleges in the world, which is also known as Stanford University in California. With total giving that would add up today to $478 million, Leland personally funded the operations of the university during its early years. As you can see, he named the university after his last name. The university was a memorial to his 15 year old son who sadly passed away. He is related to the California gold rush because he started off the enterprises of it to help get the project started, by keeping a grocery store and then a wholesale shop which was located in Placer County. Leland’s business rose as well as his political career. Lelands business was destroyed after a fire started in his law office, and library so he looked to move west.

EVIDENCE 4

Life was very hard for the miners working at the California Gold Rush. The miners during the gold rush never got credit for actually finding the gold.They had to work very hard just so they wouldn’t get famous and people who they gave the gold to get famous instead. Unfortunately all of their hard work never really seemed to pay off and what should’ve been their reward was taken by others to become famous and wealthy. The miners always got homesick, lonely, and sick. The Forty-Niners rushed to mine the gold but ended up giving up after a little bit of working. This shows how hard working and how great the miners were. Those who were mining at the bottom of a stream in the Sierras found themselves with lots of hard work and harsh weather. These mining scenes show the diversity of the people who wanted their chance to work in the California gold fields. The Men wore dark work shirts, pants, and dark leather work boots, and the Women wore print dresses and aprons because the Women made more money than the men by selling homemade goods such as pies, and donuts. Many miners died from not only harsh weather but also illnesses that were going around, along with this many miners died from severe mineing incidents. Some people didn’t die from these causes but they did get severely hurt and could have died. Suddenly, the streams became very crowded and opposition became hard. Conflicts and racism became more intense as well as a few pieces of gold. One of the good things about being a miner is that you could earn a normal year's wage in just a couple of days working at the California Gold Rush. Even though this is a good thing it is one of very few good things about being a miner on the California Gold Rush.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFIGANCE

The California Gold Rush matters because it was the first sign that if everyone in the world had money the economy would be destroyed. It also matters because it shaped the history of California and impacted so many people to start businesses and help with the gold rush, so many people have started businesses since the gold rush because all they had to do was go to California for some gold. But on the positive side It also caused California to have banks since before the California Gold Rush they had no banks, so this was a big improvement for California.

The California Gold Rush proves meaning and importance because it made people think you could do anything with money and power, but when people kept coming to California and taking the gold and there was no more so everything fell apart. So this tells us everyone can’t have money and power and you don't need it to survive. You also should take advantage of the things you are given in life so that they can help you advance and grow a better future for yourself and for others too.

The California Gold Rush is significant to history because it created a long impact by motivating serious industrial/ agricultural work and continued the course to create California's growth by encouraging its economic moves and smoothing the transition to becoming a state. The discovery of the gold and metal In sutter's mill was turned into a big thing in california history. The Gold rush expanded the reach to the American and British Empires.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, The California Gold rush is a prime example that there were many myths and fabrications regarding the American Dream. This is because ordinary people like Levi Strauss and Leland Stanford got the benefits from it. They were both successful businessmen who thrived and achieved their dream. The American Dream is the perfect hope by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest desires and goals to be achieved. This would not be reasonable because, in reality, people have to work hard to get to where they end in their prime. Levi Strauss and Leland Stanford were successful, yes, but they didn't get their end by good luck or fortune. The American Dream is a myth because people did not have freedom. Levi and Leland both got their money because they paid people to do work for them, they didn't even get the gold themselves. They thrived from the gold rush by creating their own businesses. The American Dream states “freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children” which isn't correct because not all people had freedom. The California Gold Rush showed people all they had to do to achieve their accomplishments and goals was go to California and get the free money. Which can destroy our economy because you have to work for what you want to achieve, you can't just get anything you want by not doing anything.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s3o8QaF224Cje1F-DpfMGbbFfQwIb3IOWjl7pryA4tI/edit

PROCESS PAPER

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LDqgroW5_lWVySJjKlwOYcqgGfwMPuEq3f0xepCWtxc/edit