The California Gold Rush

1. Who were the 49er's?

1.1. The 49er's were people who traveled to California in search of gold and a new life on the West Coast.

2. The Discovery of Gold in California

2.1. Gold was discovered in California on January 24, 1848 by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This discovery brought over 300,000 people to California.

3. Diversity and Immigration to California

3.1. Native Americans were pushed off their homeland by many 49er's. Some of the people who moved were from Northern California, the East Coast, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, China, and more.

4. California Following Statehood

4.1. Following statehood, conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers continued. California paid $1.5 million for militias to "protect themselves" from indigenous populations, which led to the slaughtering of hundreds of Native Americans. Immigrants continued to move to California and the economy grew from 1850-1900.

5. Production and Economy

5.1. 49er's panning for gold needed many different types of supplies. Merchants in the area made much more money than the majority of miners. The influx of spending in the area made the California economy boom.

6. Economic Conflicts Between Diverse Groups

6.1. Native Americans became victims of starvation and disease due to the large number of immigrants encroaching on their land and contaminating the water supply by mining. Chinese immigrants experienced extreme racism from white miners, leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act and Foreign Miners Tax.

7. How California Became a State

7.1. California became the 31st state of the United States of America in 1850. It's first capital was set up in San Jose, then San Francisco, and finally Sacramento. Sacramento was the site of John Sutter's farm and fort.