Fools’ Gold: Racism, Social Mobility, and Native Americans during the Gold Rush

Authors

Natasha Stange, Pomona CollegeFollow

Abstract

By the mid-1850s, more than 300,000 individuals had migrated to California, as the discovery of gold tempted many to abandon their poor working and living conditions for the chance to “strike it rich” out west. Often considered the dawn of a new era with boundless opportunities and riches for anyone, the rapid, widespread transcontinental migration spurred by the Gold Rush replicated and exacerbated pre-existing societal issues—namely racism, mistreatment of Indians, and unequal economic opportunity—in the United States. Racism, maltreatment of Native Americans, and unequal economic opportunity are all problems that have plagued American society from its inception. By failing to deliver on its economic promise and magnifying racial tensions, the Gold Rush made a distinct contribution to the continuing relevance of these issues in American society today.

First Page

30

Last Page

46

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Stange, Natasha (2021) "Fools’ Gold: Racism, Social Mobility, and Native Americans during the Gold Rush," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2021.110103
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol11/iss1/3