California's Gold Rush, American Immigration and Nativism

California Gold Rush

and

American Immigration

Objective:

Analyze how economic factors affected migration
patterns in California.

Today we will explain the reasons
for Chinese, Irish and German immigration during the
California Gold Rush using a
reading selection.

What were some reasons for
Chinese immigration during the
California Gold Rush?

Essential Question

How did the physical environment impact people
moving westward?

DO NOW:

It Matters Because

The Gold Rush encouraged people

to move to California in the mid

1800s. This incredible population

growth led to California becoming

a state in 1850.

Open Ended

List one feature of the California Gold Rush.

Vocabulary

California Gold Rush- a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848,
when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma,
California.

Immigration -the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign
country.
Chinese Immigrant
Irish Immigrant
German Immigrant

History of California

The remote region of California was originally settled by

the Spanish in the 1700’s. The main economic activity was

cattle ranching. There were many Catholic missions that

ministered to native populations throughout the state as

well. It was sparsely populated with only from 8,000 to

12,000 people of Spanish descent called “Californios”

living there by the time of the Mexican War. Americans

living there declared independence during the “Bear Flag

Revolt” at the start of the war. An American army and

small fleet defeated the Mexican forces there in 1847 and

took control of the state. It was formally purchased by the

United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It

achieved statehood in 1850.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best completes the diagram above?

• Slaveholding State

• Bordered by the Pacific Ocean

• Formerly part of Mexico

• Dependent on heavy industry

Multiple Choice

What is the name given to the belief that the United States had the right and duty to expand across the North American continent?

• Great Awakening

• Monroe Doctrine

• Manifest destiny

• Louisiana Purchase

The "Forty-Niners"

In 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, near

present-day Sacramento. News quickly got out to

the world and prompted thousands of people to

make the long and treacherous journey to

California in order to strike it rich. The

California Gold Rush was on. People had to get

there by sailing the long journey around the

southern tip of South America, or by crossing the

continent on foot. These men became known as

“Forty-Niners” because of the year they arrived

in California.

Gold Mining Effects

Gold mining was difficult work. Miners

spent days knee-deep in icy streams sifting

though tons of gravel searching for gold

nuggets. Exhaustion, poor nutrition, and

diseases cost men their health. Miners had

to pay high prices for goods. Crime was

extremely high and there was very little law

and order. As a result, very few miners

struck it rich, but most stayed in California

and found other work.

Multiple Choice

What effect did the mining technique described in this excerpt have on the local environment?

• Rivers became filled with sediment.

• Reduced flooding led to an increased reliance on irrigation

• Forests were clear-cut, and the timber was used to line tunnels and shafts

• Farmland benefited from a change in soil composition

American Immigration in the 1800s

Push factors encourage
people to leave their points
of origin and settle
elsewhere, while pull factors
attract migrants to new
areas.

Most of the early Chinese immigration to the United States can be traced to the mid-1800s. These early immigrants—some 25,000 in the 1850s alone—came seeking economic opportunity in America. The Chinese arriving in San Francisco, who came primarily from the Taishan and Zhongshan regions as well as Guangdong province of mainland China, did so at the height of the California Gold Rush, and many worked in the mines scattered throughout the northern part of the state. Others took jobs as farmhands or in the burgeoning garment industry in the “City by the Bay.” Still more became laborers with the Central Pacific and Transcontinental railroads, and were instrumental in building the transportation infrastructure that helped fuel the westward expansion of the United States before, during, and after the Civil War.

​Chinese Immigration

Open Ended

Were the Chinese Pushed or Pulled?

Multiple Choice

Many of the Chinese took jobs in________

• Railroads, Gold Mining, Farming

• Cattle Raising, Restaurants, Banking

• Kung Fu Schools, Fishing, Logging

• Technology, Book Writing, FBI

Multiple Choice

When did the Chinese immigrate to the United States?

• Mid-1700s

• Early 1900s

• Late 2021

• Mid-1800s

Multiple Choice

What factor led to the Chinese Immigration?

• Dictator Government

• Potato Famine

• Economic Opportunity

• Government Jobs

Open Ended

What area of the U.S. did the Chinese settle?

Irish Immigration

In Ireland, almost half of the population lived on farms that

produced little income. Because of their poverty, most Irish

people depended on potatoes for food. When this crop failed

three years in succession, it led to a great famine (lack of food)

with horrendous consequences. Over 750,000 people starved to

death. Over two million Irish eventually moved to the United

States seeking relief from their desolated country.

Impoverished, the Irish could not buy the property. Instead,

they congregated in the cities where they landed, almost all in

the northeastern United States. Today, Ireland has just half the

population it did in the early 1840s. There are now more Irish

Americans than there are Irish nationals.

Multiple Choice

What caused the Irish to emigrate from their country?

• Pushed out because of civil war

• Pushed out because of famine

• Pulled out for job opportunities

• Pulled out because of French invasion

Multiple Choice

What food source did the Irish depend on for survival

• Chickens

• Rice

• Potatoes

• Cabbage

Multiple Choice

Were the Irish Pushed or pulled from their country?

• Pushed

• Pulled

In the decade from 1845 to 1855, more than a million

Germans fled to the United States to escape economic

hardship. They also sought to escape the political

unrest caused by riots, rebellion, and eventually a

revolution in 1848. The Germans had little choice — few

other places besides the United States allowed German

immigration. Unlike the Irish, many Germans had

enough money to journey to the Midwest in search of

farmland and work. The largest settlements of

Germans were in New York City, Baltimore, Cincinnati,

St. Louis, and Milwaukee.

German Immigration

Multiple Choice

The Germans faced political and ______ issues in their country.

• Goverment

• Economic

• Religious

• Famine

Open Ended

What political issues were the Germans facing?

Multiple Choice

Were the Germans in a better economic position than the Irish when they came to America?

• No- they had no money like the Irish

• Yes- They had more money than the Irish

Open Ended

Where did the Germans settle in the United States?

Open Ended

Were the Germans Pushed or Pulled?

Nativism

○Definition: policy of protecting native born or

established inhabitants against those of

immigrants

○common political belief starting in the years

mid 1800's

○many people were nativist towards the Irish

and other Catholic groups because they often

voted in large blocks (together) and the Pope

was seen as a political figure

Nativism

What did nativists do?

○Tried to pass laws to make it harder

for immigrants to become a US Citizen

○Try to reduce the number of people

who could come to the USA

○Riots sometimes took place between

immigrant Irish Catholics and

nativists.

Multiple Choice

Nativism is a thing that happened in history and cannot again.

• True

• False

Open Ended

Which groups faced nativist actions first?