Spanish colonization of "Alta California" began when the Presidio at San Diego, the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast, was established in 1769. With the expedition was Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan Father who would have a tremendous influence in the colonization of California through the establishment of missions.
How did early California change with each group of settlers?
Early California evolved and changed with each new group of settlers. These images depict the developing interconnectedness of California's early cultures. They also underscore the importance of movement and later settlement of peoples in California.
Who settled California in the late 18th century?
Overview. In the late 18th century, the Spanish in California were joined by other European groups. Russian settlements in northern California (shown in the two images of Fort Ross) connected Russia to its other sea otter trade routes, were places to grow food for their Alaskan settlements, and served as bases for trade with Californians.
Why was the California Gold Rush important?
Sources The California Gold Rush was sparked by the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 and was arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history during the first half of the 19th century.
What was the population of California in the 1800s?
At the time, the population of the territory consisted of 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican decent); 700 foreigners (primarily Americans); and 150,000 Native Americans (barely half the number that had been there when Spanish settlers arrived in 1769).
What led to the settlement of California?
Settlement. Pressure for settlement came from missionaries eager to convert the Native Americans to Christianity, from the intrusion of Russian and British traders, primarily in search of sea otter pelts, and from the quest for the Northwest Passage across the North American continent.
What led to the rapid settlement of the western United States?
Westward expansion, the 19th-century movement of settlers into the American West, began with the Louisiana Purchase and was fueled by the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail and a belief in "manifest destiny."
What discovery in California led to a rapid westward migration?
The discovery of gold in 1848 by James Marshall sparked a massive wave of westward migration. The largest influx occurred in 1849, and those prospectors who sought their fortunes became known collectively as forty-niners, in reference to the year they arrived.
What caused rapid growth in California in 1849 and elaborate the impact it had on society as well as the United States?
California Gold Rush, rapid influx of fortune seekers in California that began after gold was found at Sutter's Mill in early 1848 and reached its peak in 1852. According to estimates, more than 300,000 people came to the territory during the Gold Rush.
What were the 5 reasons for westward expansion?
What were 5 reasons for westward expansion?free land railroad gold and silver adventure and opportunity cattleWhat were some challenges the cowboys faced on the long drive?Violent storms, wind, rain, moving rivers, stampedes, rustlers, hot sun, discrimination, and 15 hours on the saddle38 more rows
What factors led to the settlement of the West in the years following the war?
What factors led to the settlement of the West in the years following the War? The need for balance between free and slave states. The Northerners wanted land and land exhaustion of growing tobacco was growing. This all contributed to settlement of the West.
What brought settlers to California in 1849?
An 1849 handbill from the California Gold Rush. PD. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848 unleashed the largest migration in United States history and drew people from a dozen countries to form a multi-ethnic society on America's fringe.
Why did so many settlers move to California after 1848?
The 1848 discovery of gold in California set off a frenzied Gold Rush to the state the next year as hopeful prospectors, called “forty-niners,” poured into the state. This massive migration to California transformed the state's landscape and population.
Who discovered the California Gold Rush?
James W. MarshallGold! On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold on the property of Johann A. Sutter near Coloma, California.
Why did the population of California grow so quickly in the 1850s?
In response to reports from California, Polk stated that such an "abundance" of gold had been found that the news "would scarcely command belief." Aspiring miners "rushed" to California, causing the state's population to increase by more than 300 percent between 1850 and 1860.
How did the California Gold Rush Impact westward expansion?
The California Gold Rush sparked a movement west, which only further ignited manifest destiny. People saw the opportunity to stake a claim of their own and truly pursue the "American Dream" out west. This new discovery and the abundance of wealth to be had further solidified support of Polk's decision to move westward.
Which California city experienced rapid population growth as a result of the gold rush?
In 1848, San Francisco was a town of 1,000 people, mostly Mexican American and white merchants. By 1849, the first year of the California Gold Rush, the city boomed to 25,000 people from the eastern United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.
When did Americans begin to settle in the West?
While the settling of the American West began in earnest in the 1840s, the most famous period in the region's history, the Wild West, began in 1865 after the American Civil War, which was the war fought between the Northern and Southern United States between 1861 and 1865, and ended in the late 1890s and early 1900s, ...
When was the western United States settled?
July 4, 1776Western United States / Date settled
What happened in the westward expansion?
Westward expansion was greatly aided in the early 19th century by the Louisiana Purchase (1803), which was followed by the Corps of Discovery Expedition that is generally called the Lewis and Clark Expedition; the War of 1812, which secured existing U.S. boundaries and defeated native tribes of the Old Northwest, the ...
What were the Spanish and Californians doing in the late 18th century?
Russian settlements in northern California (shown in the two images of Fort Ross) connected Russia to its other sea otter trade routes, were places to grow food for their Alaskan settlements, and served as bases for trade with Californians. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the French controlled much of what would border both Spanish territory on the West Coast and the newly formed United States to the east. The ink drawing shows a French diplomat being received at Mission Carmel in 1786.
What did the early European images of California show?
Early European images of California show these settlers' interest in Native Americans already inhabiting the area. The engraving of Captain Rogers' men being received by Native American men on the shores of California in the early 1800s depicts the two...
What did the French control before the Louisiana Purchase?
Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the French controlled much of what would border both Spanish territory on the West Coast and the newly formed United States to the east. The ink drawing shows a French diplomat being received at Mission Carmel in 1786.
Where is the first known print taken on the site of San Francisco?
Vue du Presidio de San Francisco [ca. 1815] Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) in the Spring of 1837. This is the first known print taken on the site. View of San Francisco [California]: taken from the western hill at the foot of Telegraph Hill, looking toward Rincon Point and Mission Valley.
Is California a place of cultural interaction?
California has always been a place of cultural interaction. Early California evolved and changed with each new group of settlers. These images depict the developing interconnectedness of California's early cultures.
What were the challenges faced by the settlers?
Once they embarked, settlers faced numerous challenges: oxen dying of thirst, overloaded wagons, and dysentery, among others. Trails were poorly marked and hard to follow, and travelers often lost their way. Guidebooks attempted to advise travelers, but they were often unreliable.
Where did the Far West settle?
Settlers of the Far West faced a four-month journey across little-known territory in harsh conditions. They prepared for the rigors of travel in jump- off towns like St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri, which prospered from the growth of the outfitting industry.
How did the West travel?
There were many trails leading to the Far West. Southwestern travelers more often than not used the Santa Fe Trail to move westward. Routes to the Northwest varied, but the Oregon Trail became the best known and most often followed pathway to the northwest. Though it was commonly traveled, settlers still faced difficult journeys westward. Travelers along these overland trails survived by cooperating with each other in wagon trains. Though many brought a liberal spirit to the West, firmly entrenched traditions dictated the operations of the wagon trains. Women packed and unpacked the wagons, cooked, milked cows, tended to children, and aided in childbirth. Men were responsible for yoking and unyoking the oxen, driving the wagons, and making up hunting parties. Between 1840 and 1848, an estimated 11,500 followed the overland trails to Oregon, and nearly 3,000 reached California.
What was Oregon known for?
Oregon drew many settlers from the Mississippi Valley with the promise of fertile farmland. During the 1830s missionaries had moved into Oregon's Willamette Valley, and by 1840, there were about 500 Americans there. To some, Oregon was even more attractive a destination than California and New Mexico, and the 1840s saw rapid settlement there as ...
What was the difference between the Willamette Valley and the Sacramento Valley?
The Willamette Valley offered fertile farmland and the assured company of other American settlers, whereas the Sacramento Valley was less well known and put the white settlers in geographic proximity to the Mexican settlers, who many Americans found distasteful.
What is the legend of the West?
Throughout the long process of settling the American West, the legend of the West would grow and become a symbol of the rugged adventurousness of western settlers. Despite the many reasons to migrate westward, the numbers that amassed in Oregon and California were modest, and migration was concentrated between 1844 and 1848.
Why did the Spanish and Mexicans travel to the Far West?
Settlers flocked to the Far West for many reasons. They sought adventure, farmland, an escape from the constraints of civilization, and new starts. California was attractive because of its climate and the fact that the Spanish and Mexicans had begun to organize the territory through the mission system.
Where did the Mexican and American soldiers clash?
American and Mexican soldiers clashed near the Rio Grande
Which two countries agreed to divide the land at the 49 parallel line?
USA and Great Britain agreed to divided the land at the 49 parallel line
When did Texas become annexed?
Congress passed a Joint Resolution accepting the annexation of Texas in 1845
How did the California gold rush affect the environment?
New mining methods and the population boom in the wake of the California Gold Rush permanently altered the landscape of California. The technique of hydraulic mining, developed in 1853, brought enormous profits but destroyed much of the region’s landscape. Dams designed to supply water to mine sites in summer ...
What were the effects of the California gold rush?
Effects of the California Gold Rush: Gold Fever. The ’49ers Come to California. California's Mines After the Gold Rush. Environmental Impact of the Gold Rush. Sources. The California Gold Rush was sparked by the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 and was arguably one of the most significant events to shape American ...
How many people lived in California in 1848?
By the end of the year, the non-native population of California was estimated at 100,000, (as compared with 20,000 at the end of 1848 and around 800 in March 1848). To accommodate the needs of the ’49ers, gold mining towns had sprung up all over the region, complete with shops, saloons, brothels and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold ...
How much gold was discovered in California in 1849?
As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area; by the end of 1849, the non-native population of the California territory was some 100,000 (compared with the pre-1848 figure of less than 1,000). A total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted ...
What did the people of 1849 do?
Throughout 1849, people around the United States (mostly men) borrowed money, mortgaged their property or spent their life savings to make the arduous journey to California. In pursuit of the kind of wealth they had never dreamed of, they left their families and hometowns; in turn, women left behind took on new responsibilities such as running farms or businesses and caring for their children alone. Thousands of would-be gold miners, known as ’49ers, traveled overland across the mountains or by sea, sailing to Panama or even around Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America.
What was the name of the treaty that ended the Mexican American War?
Days after Marshall’s discovery at Sutter’s Mill, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and leaving California in the hands of the United States.
When did California lose gold?
After 1850, the surface gold in California largely disappeared, even as miners continued to arrive. Mining had always been difficult and dangerous labor, and striking it rich required good luck as much as skill and hard work.
Who led the Mormons to settle where in the 1840s?
Brigham Young led the Mormons to settle where in the 1840s ?
When did the US acquire California and New Mexico?
1848; US signed Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo; acquired California & New Mexico for $15M
Which two countries agreed to divide the land?
the US and Britain agreed to divide the land
When was the railroad built in Arizona?
1853 ; US bought for $10M; strip of land in Arizona and New Mexico to complete railroad
