Gold-Rush

TheGoldRush淘金热TheGeneralSituationTheeffectsoftheGoldRushTheGoldRush淘金热(GOLDRUSH,英语里意为对金子的向往）淘金热是美国西进运动的产物，也是其中极为重要的一个环节。对美国18-19世纪的经济开发，农业扩张，交通革命，工商业发展具有重要的意义。TheGoldRushisanimportantpartoftheWestwardExpansion.TheGeneralSituationTheGoldRushbeganonJanuary24,1848,whengoldwasdiscoveredbyJamesMarshallatSutter'sMillinColoma,California.Newsofthediscoverysoonspread,resultinginmanypeoplecomingtoCaliforniafromtherestoftheUnitedStatesandabroad.ItbeganonJanuary24,1848,whengoldwasdiscoveredbyJamesW.MarshallatSutter'sMill,inColoma,California,aforemanworkingforSacramentopioneerJohnSutter,foundshinymetalinthetailraceofalumbermillMarshallwasbuildingforSutterontheAmericanRiver.Goldrush•ThenewsoonstartedtospreadandwereconfirmedinMarch1848bySanFrancisconewspaper.•ThemostfamousquoteoftheCaliforniaGoldRushwasbythemerchantSamuelBrannan.Afterhehadhurriedlysetupastoretosellgoldprospectingsupplies,BrannanstrodethroughthestreetsofSanFrancisco,holdingaloftavialofgold,shoutingGold!Gold!GoldfromtheAmericanRiver!Then,thegoldrushbegan.OnAugust19,1848,theNewYorkHeraldwasthefirstmajornewspaperontheEastCoasttoreportthediscoveryofgold.Newsofthediscoverysoonspread,resultinginsome300,000men,women,andchildrencomingtoCaliforniafromtherestoftheUnitedStatesandabroad.OnDecember5,1848,PresidentJamesPolkconfirmedthediscoveryofgoldinanaddresstoCongress.Wavesofimmigrantsfromaroundtheworld,latercalledtheforty-niners,invadedtheGoldCountryofCalifornia.★Gold-seekersandmerchantsfromAsia,primarilyfromChina,beganarrivingin1849.★Itisestimatedthatapproximately90,000peoplearrivedinCaliforniain1849.Miners,MinesandEquipmentBoatsandTrainsBeforetheCaliforniaGoldrush,goldwasalsodiscoverednearLosAngelesandinsouthernCalifornia.DueTothebehindhandeconomy,thenativeIndiansdidnotattachmuchimportancetogold.Andbecauseofthelimitofcommunicationwithotherstates,thenewsofthediscoveryofgoldcouldnotspreadwidely.WhileinCalifornia,theImmigrants’comingimprovedtheeconomy,andtheyallsawtheprofit.Thatiswhypeoplefromallovertheworldcamehere.淘金热盛况金矿被发现后，美国沸腾，世界震撼。近在咫尺的圣弗朗西斯科首先感受到了淘金热的冲击，几乎所有的企业停止了营业，海员把船只抛弃在了圣弗朗西斯科湾，士兵离开了营房，仆人离开了主人，涌向金矿发源地，农民典押田宅，拓荒者卡垦荒地，工人扔下工具，公务员离开写字台，甚至连传教士也离开了布道所。这股热潮一直席卷到圣弗朗西斯科北部的俄勒冈及南部的墨西哥。成千上万的淘金者使加利福尼亚人口猛增。并且许多新近出现的城镇很快成为国际性的城市。TheeffectsoftheGoldRushSanFranciscogrewfromatinyhamlettoaboomtown,androads,churches,schoolsandothertownswerebuiltthroughoutCalifornia.Asystemoflawsandagovernmentwascreated,leadingtotheadmissionofCaliforniaasastatein1850.EconomiceffectsBythemid-1850s,itwastheownersofthesegold-miningcompanieswhomadethemoney.Also,thepopulationandeconomyofCaliforniahadbecomelargeanddiverseenoughthatmoneycouldbemadeinawidevarietyofconventionalbusinessesLarge-scaleagriculture(California'ssecondGoldRush)beganduringthistime.PoliticalandsocialeffectsInthemidstoftheGoldRush,townsandcitieswerechartered,astateconstitutionalconventionwasconvened,astateconstitutionwritten,electionsheld,andrepresentativessenttoWashington,D.C.tonegotiatetheadmissionofCaliforniaasastate.Roads,schools,churches,andcivicorganizationsquicklycameintoexistence.World-wideeconomicstimulationTheGoldRushstimulatedeconomiesaroundtheworldaswell.FarmersinChile,Australia,andHawaiifoundahugenewmarketfortheirfood;Britishmanufacturedgoodswereinhighdemand;clothingandevenprefabricatedhousesarrivedfromChina.ThereturnoflargeamountsofCaliforniagoldtopayforthesegoodsraisedpricesandstimulatedinvestmentandthecreationofjobsaroundtheworld.BeforethegoldrushCaliforniawaslargelypopulatedbymissionaries(传教士；工作人员)andNativeAmericans.ThetotalpopulationofCaliforniawasabout2000non-natives.AfterthegoldrushBylate1849therewereabout15,000people,andin1850about20,000people.By1853therewereover300,000peoplelivinginCalifornia.影响：自1854年起，加利福尼亚的淘金热成下降趋势，黄金产值下降，但整个采金业取向深度和广度发展。其影响在于：1）人口的急剧增长，社会财富剧增。2）带动了加利福尼亚地区工业及相关产业的发展。3）大量移民的涌入，加快了农业、牧业的发展。4）采矿业带动西部交通运输业的发展。第二次采金热是50年代在科罗拉多发现金矿至70年代在内华达发现金矿。这时采集矿种增多，并因此使美国作为最大的产金国的地位一直保持到1898年。同时，由于技术的发展使得商人、工业、企业家纷纷形成采矿公司，并逐步控制了采矿区。TheNegativeEffectsThehumanandenvironmentalcostsoftheGoldRushweresubstantial.NativeAmericans,dependentontraditionalhuntingandgathering,becamethevictimsofstarvationanddisease.Thesurgeintheminingpopulationalsoresultedinthedisappearanceofgameandfoodgatheringlocalesasgoldcampsandothersettlementswerebuiltamidstthem.