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Teacher's
Guide
Background
on the California Gold Rush
Gold
Rush Timeline
Overview
of "The Gold Rush" television program
Outline
of "The Gold Rush" television program
Vocabulary
Test
Questions
Background
on the California gold rush
Although
there were many gold rushes in world history, the California gold
rush was a unique event. Unlike other places, the gold in California
was both plentiful and easy to get--at least at first. The result
would be profound changes in California, America, and the entire
world.
Gold was first discovered in California by James Marshall in early
1848. Later that year, gold seekers from the west coast converged
on the American River--50 miles or so from Sacramento--where Marshall
first saw the shiny metal. Within a matter of months, word spread
eastward and by 1849 thousands were en route to California. Some
traveled overland on the already established Oregon-California
Trail. Others traveled by ship around the tip of South America.
Still others took shortcuts across Panama and Mexico. Regardless
of the route, it was an intensely difficult journey.
The gold-seekers were dubbed "49ers" because most left
home in 1849. Importantly, 49ers were not uniquely American. Quite
the contrary, the California gold rush was a world event, attracting
gold-seekers from Mexico, China, Germany, France, Turkey--nearly
every country in the world.
Although gold was easy to find at first, it quickly became an
difficult enterprise that yielded less and less. Those who did
find gold often spent it all on the basic necessities of life.
The biggest moneymakers were entrepreneurs who supplied the gold
miners with much-needed supplies and services.
The legacy of the gold rush is substantial. First, gold brought
people from around the world--people who stayed to form the multi-cultural
nucleus of California that exists to this day. Secondly, the gold
rush pulled America westward, ensuring that California and the
rest of the west would become a part of the United States. Lastly,
the gold rush awakened America to the idea of high risk entrepreneurialism,
a concept that our capitalistic society continues to nurture.
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Timeline
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Overview of "The Gold Rush"
television program
"The
Gold Rush" is a one-hour historical documentary about the
great 19th-century quest for gold in frontier California. Narrated
by John Lithgow, the program intertwines historic photos with
current footage of California gold country. Interspersed throughout
are passages from 49er diaries and interviews with historians.
Historians appearing in "The Gold Rush:"
J.S. Holliday is recognized as the preeminent gold rush
historian. His book, The World Rushed In, remains the classic
text on the subject.
JoAnn Levy is the author of They Saw the Elephant; Women
in the California Gold Rush. The recently published book is
a detailed look at the role of women in the gold rush era.
Sylvia Sun Minnick is the author of Samfow: The San
Joaquin Chinese Legacy and a number of other works. Ms. Sun
Minnick is an expert on the role of the Chinese and other ethnic
groups in the gold rush era.
Merrill Mattes is the author of numerous scholarly works
on the American West, including the classic text: The Great
Platte River Road. Mr. Mattes is considered the preeminent
historian on the overland journey.
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Outline
of "The Gold Rush" film
 Introduction
Discovery
- John Sutter
builds an empire
- John Marshall
discovers gold
- Sam Brannan
triggers gold hysteria
- Pres. Polk
validates the gold discovery
- 49ers make
the decision to go to California
The Journey
- The sea
journey
- The overland
journey
Gold Country
- The 49ers
arrive
- Sutter's
empire is destroyed
- California's
unique lack of government
- Entrepreneurialism
booms
- Women find
new freedoms, opportunities
- Brannan
makes a fortune
- Success
stories of frontier California
- Levi
Strauss
- Phillip
Armour
- John
Studebaker
- Henry
Wells and William Fargo
- Samuel
Clemens
- Brett
Harte
Despair
- Gold becomes
harder to find
- Frustration
and despair for the miners
Collision of Cultures
- Miners from
around the world
- The Chinese
- Native Americans
- African-Americans
Changes
Mining companies
are formed
New extraction
techniques are used
Hydraulic
mining
Environmental
damage
San Francisco
- Tremendous
growth of the city
- Freewheeling
atmosphere
- Gold as
a magnet for dynamic people
Impact
- Gold rush
shapes the "idea" of California
- Attracting
risk-takers and entrepreneurs
- Symbolism
of Sutter vs. Brannan
- The dream
lives on
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Vocabulary
Entrepreneur:
a person who starts a new business enterprise
49ers:
the people who traveled to California in 1849 in search of gold
American
Dream: the goal of material prosperity available to all who
seek it
Anarchy:
absence of government
Law of
supply and demand: economic law which states that prices rise
when demand is high and supply is low; and thatprices fall when
demand is low and supply is high
Genocide:
Deliberate destruction of an entire ethnic or racial group
Hydraulic
mining: mining which used large jets of water to break down
riverbeds in order to recover small amounts of gold or other precious
metals
Exploitation:
improper use for one's profit or advantage
Opportunistic:
taking advantage of an opportunity, often with little regard
for the circumstances
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Test
Questions
Who first
discovered gold in California?
- James
Marshall
- John Sutter
- Sam Brannan
- James
Polk
Where was gold first found?
- American
River
- Sacramento
- San Francisco
- Donner
Pass
John Sutter earned his living through:
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Supplying
miners
- Banking
The American River, where gold was discovered, is closest to what
major city?
- Sacramento
- San Francisco
- Oakland
- Los Angeles
What was the age of typical 49ers?
- Teens
and 20s
- 30s and
40s
- 50s and
60s
- 60s and
70s
Who was president during the beginning of the gold rush?
- Polk
- Lincoln
- Grant
- Johnson
For the next four questions, match the business person with
the type of business he started during the gold rush...
Phillip Armour
- Meat packing
- Banking
- Clothing
- Automobiles
Henry Wells
- Meat packing
- Banking
- Clothing
- Automobiles
Levi Strauss
- Meat packing
- Banking
- Clothing
- Automobiles
John Studebaker
- Meat packing
- Banking
- Clothing
- Automobiles
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Which kind of mining is hardest on the environment?
- Hydraulic
mining
- Placer
mining
- Hard-rock
mining
California became a state in:
Which ethnic group suffered the most in the gold rush?
- Native
Americans
- African
Americans
- Chinese
Americans
- Mexican
Americans
What author got his start in frontier California
- Mark Twain
- Edgar
Allen Poe
- Herman
Melville
- Ernest
Hemingway
-
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Activities/Discussion
4th-7th
grade
Figure out how many steps it took for a 49er to walk to California.
First, measure one of your normal steps from front heel to back
heel. How many inches is it? Next, divide 63360 (the number of
inches in a mile) by that number. Now you have figured the number
of steps in a mile. Now, multiply the number of steps by 2,000
miles--the distance to California. The answer is the number of
steps it would take for you to walk from Missouri to California.
To understand what life was like for the 49ers, try going through
an evening without any modern conveniences. No electric lights,
ball point pens, or TV etc.. Make a complete list of all the things
you gave up. (You might make an exception for bathrooms!)
Many of the 49ers were teenagers who left home on a 2,000 mile
journey to California. Some walked the entire distance on foot!
If you were planning to journey 2,000 miles across the wilderness,
what would you take along? Remember, there are no supply points
along the way; you must pack everything you need to last 3 months.
Make a list of your supplies.
Before they left for California, the 49ers plotted their route
west. With a modern map, plot YOUR route to Sacramento. Try to
find the fastest route.
Imagine that you are to travel back in time to become a 49er.
You are allowed to take along one modern invention; something
that will fit in your pocket. What would you take? Why?
7th- 12th grade
If the gold rush had never happened, the states of California,
Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico might have ended up as a part
of in Mexico--instead of the U.S. How would life in America be
different? How would your life be different?
Before the gold rush, a metal pan in California cost 30 cents,
but after gold was discovered, gold pans sold for 15 dollars.
The price change was a result of the economic laws of supply and
demand. Can you think of items today that are more expensive because
they are in short supply (rare coins, all-star basketball players,
classic cars, downtown real estate) What about things that are
inexpensive because they are in large supply (salt, water, topsoil).
Can you think of things that have gone up in price as demand has
increased or supply has dwindled (gasoline, timber, Nike shoes)?
The film describes Sam Brannan as a "skilled craftsman of
hype" because he promoted the gold rush when no one else
seemed to care very much. Can you think of events in modern life
that are over-promoted or "hyped" by the media? (Super
Bowl, Iowa Primary) Sam Brannan ran down the streets of San Francisco
and shouted to get people's attention; how do promoters get our
attention today? Is hype good or bad?
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