Why did people migrate to California in 1848?

Answer 1

The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.

In March, 1848, Samuel Brannan, a newspaper publisher, strode through the streets of San Francisco, holding aloft a vial of gold, shouting "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!" With the news of gold, many families trying their luck at Californian farming decided to go for the gold, becoming some of California's first miners.

On August 19, 1848, the New York Herald was the first major newspaper on the East Coast to report that there was a gold rush in California; on December 5, President James Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in an address to Congress. Soon, waves of immigrants from around the world, later called the "forty-niners," invaded the Gold Country of California or "Mother Lode

The early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip. While most of the newly arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

New methods of transportation developed as steamships came into regular service and railroads were built. The business of agriculture, California's next major growth field, was started on a wide scale throughout the state. However, the Gold Rush also had negative effects: Native Americans were attacked and pushed off traditional lands, and gold mining caused environmental harm.

Answer 2

People migrated to California because of the Gold Rush. Basically, people wanted to make a quick buck by digging and mining gold, and sometimes they left their entire family behind in the process. It wasn't a success for everyone, but it pretty much made San Francisco the town it is today, boosting it's population from 200 to 36,000. You can read more in the related link.

Answer 3

The California Gold Rush.

Answer 4

caifronia gold rush! (:

Answer 5

people were mining for gold

Answer 6

The search for gold.