How has the gold rush affected these figures

Assignment Help History

Reference no: EM133344376

Assignment:

The Gold Rush brought California into world history as more than 100,000 people from as far away as China and Australia descended upon the mother lode -- a 120 mile strip at the foot of the western Sierras. Of those who worked their claims, 1 of 12 perished. Many more came up penniless. A few hit it big and then lost it just as quickly. Some have argued that the Gold Rush was a paradigm of the American Experience itself in its frantic dash for sudden riches, the taking of huge risks, the wagering of everything on one throw of the dice. We have been here before. Such an expectation of quick wealth and great risk echoed the dreams of the Spanish conquistadores, explorers, and maritime adventurers of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish quest for El Dorado was now being Americanized with its psychological and mythic hold as powerful as ever.

It is 1850. The place, let's call it Last Dollar, is a California mining camp on the South Fork of the American River. Imagine a chance meeting among the following characters:

a Peruvian miner (call him "Piero")
an Irish merchant based in San Francisco (call him "Flannery")
a Chinese day laborer (call him "Sung")
a landed Californio ("Mariano")
a mining-camp laundress ("Beatriz")

How would each of the five persons above answer the following questions:

1. What route did each of these figures probably take to find themselves on the southern fork of the American River? (Where is the American River?) If needed, consult a map. What mode or modes of transportation would they most likely use? Draw on Rawls, be specific, and speculate with an imagination informed by the historical record.

2. In this hypothetical mining camp in 1850, how has the Gold Rush affected these figures and their fortunes? Take each figure separately and avoid generalizations. Taking each figure separately, have they 'succeeded' in what they set out to do in California? How so? How not so?

3. What would each figure put in a letter to their families in answer to the question, "What has been most surprising (even shocking) about their experiences so far in the goldfields of California?" Taking each figure separately, describe and discuss his or her surprise or revelation. Be specific. Use historical evidence to speculate intelligently.

4. Taking again each figure separately, what do you believe each figures' fate will likely be?

Reference no: EM133344376

Questions Cloud

Was slavery a permanent position in africa : Was slavery a permanent position in Africa? How did slaves communicate with their captors when the languages were not the same?

What were the main features of the democratic revolution : What were the main features of the Democratic Revolution, and what role did Martin Van Bren and Andrew Jackson play in its outcome?

Which countries bore the brunt of casualties and suffering : What civilian populations became targets of this state-organized mass violence? Which countries bore the brunt of the casualties and suffering?

Explain colonist-indian relations before and during the war : Briefly explain colonist-Indian relations before and during the war. Identify the main causes of the war, some key details/events from the war.

How has the gold rush affected these figures : How has the Gold Rush affected these figures and their fortunes? Take each figure separately and avoid generalizations.

Why did the europeans decided to enslave the africans : How was the "Middle Passage" defined in the video? Why did the Europeans decided to enslave the Africans, following the discovery of America?

Why did peter van uhm choose a gun : What does Peter van Uhm say is the rationale behind the existence of his armed forces? Why did Peter van Uhm choose a gun?

Define americanization : How would you define "Americanization?" Do you think we need Americanization programs today? What purpose would they serve?

Examine carol sheriffs the artificial river : Examine Carol Sheriff's The Artificial River. How does she characterize the political and social process of building the Erie Canal?

User Account

All Pages