23 Questions
When was gold discovered at Sutter's Mill?
January 24, 1848
What event is considered by many historians to be the most significant of the first half of the nineteenth century?
The California Gold Rush
What was the population of Californios when California was under the loose control of the Mexican government?
About 6,500
What was the impact of the gold discovery on the U.S. economy?
It fired up the U.S. economy
What event led to the formal end of the war and the handing over of California to the United States?
The signing of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo
Who was the entrepreneur who marched through San Francisco waving a vial of gold as proof of its discovery?
Sam Brannan
When did the East Coast newspapers first publish accounts of the gold discovery in California?
Mid-summer 1848
What was the impact of the gold discovery on the male population of San Francisco?
Most of the male population went to the mines
What was the approximate non-native population of California by 1849?
Almost 100,000 people
What was the amount of gold pulled from the ground in 1851?
$75 million
What was the main type of labor that immigrants to California learned upon arrival?
Mining
What was the impact of the gold rush on the little port of San Francisco?
It became a raucous frontier metropolis
What was the approximate amount of gold pulled from the ground in 1849?
$10 million
What was the primary difficulty for individual miners as the mining region grew more crowded?
Competition for less gold
What was the impact of the gold rush on California's native people?
One hundred and twenty thousand Native Americans died
What was the impact of the gold rush on the concept of altering one's destiny in society?
The idea that a person could alter his destiny by collecting gold off the ground proved irresistible
Match the following events with their impact during the California Gold Rush:
Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill = Unleashed the largest migration in United States history War with Mexico = California under loose control of the Mexican government Gold rush = Fueled wild dreams like the construction of a cross-country railroad line California's population = Consisted of about 6,500 Californios, 700 foreigners, and 150,000 Native Americans
Match the following groups with their population during the California Gold Rush:
Californios = About 6,500 Foreigners = Approximately 700 Native Americans = Approximately 150,000 Miners who flooded California in 1849 = Hundreds of thousands of people
Match the following concepts with their impact during the California Gold Rush:
Promise of wealth = Altered life expectations of hundreds of thousands of people Gold discovery = Fired up the U.S. economy Impact on U.S. economy = Fueled wild dreams like the construction of a cross-country railroad line Impact on California's native people = Resulted in their numbers being cut in half since the arrival of the Spanish in 1769
Match the following timeframes with their significant events during the California Gold Rush:
1803-1861 = Louisiana Purchase and Civil War 1846 = War between United States and Mexico 1848 = Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill 1849 = Hundreds of thousands of people flooded California
Match the following events with their significance in the California Gold Rush:
Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo = Formally ended the war and handed control of California to the United States Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill = Led to the mass migration of people to California in search of gold President James K. Polk's State of the Union address = Announced Colonel Mason's report, making Americans believers in the gold discovery Formal end of the war and handing over of California to the United States = Occurred on February 2, 1848, and was followed by the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill
Match the following locations with the groups of people who headed for California during the gold rush:
Oregon = Americans Mexico = People seeking opportunities in the gold mines China = Immigrants in search of gold Hawaii (Sandwich Islands) = People attracted by the gold discovery
Match the following outcomes with the impact of the gold rush:
Increase in the non-native population of California = Grew to almost 100,000 people by 1849, with nearly two-thirds being Americans Rise of raucous frontier metropolis in San Francisco = Became a lively economy and the state was named the 31st state Devastating impact on California's native people = One hundred and twenty thousand Native Americans died of disease, starvation, and homicide Astounding amount of gold pulled from the ground = $10 million in 1849, $41 million in 1850, $75 million in 1851, and $81 million in 1852
Test your knowledge of the California Gold Rush with this quiz. Explore the historical significance, key events, and impact of this pivotal moment in American history.
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