The Gold Rush

Shoup, Kate. The Gold Rush. Part of the Primary Sources of Westward Expansion. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-5026-2640-0. Available at 979.4 SHO on the library shelves.

In the early 1800s, as the United States was expanding westward, Mexico was freeing itself from Spanish rule. Seeking to add population to sparsely developed territory in the country’s north, Mexico actively encouraged Americans to move in, provided they followed Mexican law. In practice , this influx of people who then demanded rights and civil society similar to those of the United States led first to the independence of Texas, then to the Mexican-American War. As a result of this war a large area of Mexico was added to the United States as the territories of New Mexico, Arizona, California, and parts of Nevada and Colorado in the peace settlement that followed.

However, nine days before the peace treaty was signed, and unknown to both signatories, gold had been discovered in California. The news spread like wildfire, and triggered a massive population shift from the eastern United States to California, with the population of the area growing a hundred-fold from about one thousand non-Native people in 1848 to over 100,000 in 1849. Traveling by boat to San Francisco from New York or Boston took six months. Crossing the continental United States by wagon was faster, but it was also more dangerous.

This speedy growth led to the state entering the Union as a free state, and ultimately led to the Civil War. Local Native populations were dislodged and decimated to allow for the exploration and exploitation of the land. The free-for-all of the first year was replaced by an organized process, but the depletion of the gold vein was so thorough that by 1855 no gold remained but an ecological mess had been created. Over 300,000 people moved to California during this period, seeking to strike it rich. Though most didn’t and many left when the gold ran out, the majority stayed behind and helped the state grow.

Fans of history will appreciate how the gold rush shaped California and altered the history of the United States.

Books in the Primary Sources of Westward Expansion series include Native American Resistance, Homesteading and Settling the Frontier, The Gold Rush, The Transcontinental Railroad, Lewis and Clark and Exploring the Louisiana Purchase, and Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War.

Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War

Deibel, Zachary. Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War. Part of the Primary Sources of Westward Expansion series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-5026-2643-1. Available at 973.62 DEI on the library shelves.

With the purchase of the Louisiana Territory and its exploration complete, the United States turned to surveying and occupying this new land. The idea of Manifest Destiny, that Americans were destined to control the continent from sea to sea, became anchored in the popular imagination. Who else was better suited to rule this space than White Protestants English speakers? As it continued to grow, the country began to encroach on European colonies, and acquisitions by peace or by force were inevitable. The new country acquired Florida, and open revolt in Mexico led to the establishment of Texas as a Republic. The conflict simmered and led to the Mexican-American War, where the United States army defeated the Mexicans. In the resulting peace settlement, the United States acquired Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California.

Relations with Native American groups encountered during the western expansion were also negative, with Americans stealing land and forcing Native Americans to move under duress. Manifest Destiny also impacted foreign relations, with the United States announcing that no European powers could dabble in the affairs of the American continents.

This period of expansion led to the country being what it is today, but also caused untold heartaches and destruction as whole ways of lives were irremediably changed.

Books in the Primary Sources of Westward Expansion series include Native American Resistance, Homesteading and Settling the Frontier, The Gold Rush, The Transcontinental Railroad, Lewis and Clark and Exploring the Louisiana Purchase, and Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War.