A. A

B. B

If you were living in the gold rush era, would you have traveled across the country for the chance at great riches?

A. Yes

B. No

A B

0%0%

Chapter 12 Manifest Destiny (1818-1853)

Section 4 California and Utah

What factors affected the settlement of California and Utah in the West?

Gold!• 1848- John Sutter

discovered gold in California

• People from all over the world arrived in 1849 and were called…

• Forty-ninersForty-niners• Farmers, lawyers, doctors,

priests and others were “digging gold”

• Americans made up 80% of the 49ers

• Others came from Mexico, South America, Europe, and Australia

• About 300 men arrived from China, the first large group of Asian immigrants to settle America

The Californios• The Californios are now

citizens of the US (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)

• The treaty also gave them rights to their lands

• The Land Law of 1851, however, established a group of reviewers who examined the Californios’ land rights

• When a new settler came in the Californio had to prove they owned the land

• Some were able to prove land ownership, others were not and lost their land

Growth of Cities• As people rushed to a

new area looking for gold, they built new communities, called boomtownsboomtowns, almost overnight

• At one site there were 2 houses and a year later there was…

• A town of 1000 people with “hotels, stores, groceries, bakeries, and … gambling houses”

• Cities grew rapidly• San Francisco grew from

a tiny village to a city of about 20,000 people

The 49ers• Most 49ers had no

experience in mining• When they heard gold was

discovered at site, they rushed to it

• They spent hours looking for gold dust and nuggets

• The California Gold Rush more than doubled the world’s supply of gold

• But few 49ers achieved lasting wealth

• Most found little or no gold• Many of those who did find

gold lost it gambling or on wild spending

Those That Made Money• Were the boomtown

merchants• They could charge

whatever they want for food and other essential items

• There were no other nearby stores that sold these products

• An immigrant named Levi Levi StraussStrauss sold the miners sturdy pants made of denim

• His “Levi’s” made him rich

Gold Rush Society• Mining communities

contained men of all backgrounds, but few women

• Many men spent their free time drinking, gambling, and fighting

• The mining towns had no police or prisons

• Citizens formed vigilantevigilante groups to protect themselves

• The vigilante groups took the law into their own hands

• They acted as police, judge, jury, and sometimes executioner

Economic and Political Progress• Many people who came to

California looking for gold stayed

• They farmed or ran a business

• Rapid growth brought a need for better government

• 1850- California applied for statehood and wrote a constitution

• The state decided on slavery… and they chose-

• No slavery• Southern states opposed

California’s admission• California would not enter

the Union until a year later when a compromise was reached

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

Section 4

A B

C

D

0% 0%0%0%

Why did many Americans in the 1840s want to make California a state?

A. to convert the Native Americans to Christianity

B. to abolish the Spanish missions

C. to build ports on the Pacific coast

D. to sell Native Americans into slavery

The First Mormons• MormonsMormons- members of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• The Mormons came about during the religious awakenings of the 1830s and 1840s

• The founder of the Mormon Church was Joseph Smith (Living in New York)

• Smith claimed he received visions to build a new Christian church and began preaching in 1830

• Smith published the Book of Mormon which told of the coming of God and the need to build a kingdom on Earth to receive him

The Mormons• Smith wanted to build a

model society• He believed property

should be held in common

• Also supported polygamy (More than one wife)

• Smith formed a society in New York, but people disagreed with his ideas and forced the Mormons to leave

• The Mormons moved to Illinois, but persecution continued

The Mormons Leave Illinois• 1844- A mob of residents

killed Joseph Smith• Brigham Young took over

as head of the Mormons• Young decided the

Mormons should move again to escape persecution and have religious freedom

• The Mormons moved west to the Great Salt Lake in present day Utah

A Haven in the Desert• 1846- About 12,000

Mormons moved to Utah• This was the largest single

migration in American history

• Traveled on what became known as the Mormon Trail (Became an valuable route to the western US)

• 1847- The Mormon’s reached the Great Salt Lake

• The land was dry and wild• The Mormons call the land

Deseret and set up farming communities

Mormons’ In Deseret• At first life was difficult for

the settlers• Hard work and

determination helped Deseret succeed

• They built their towns carefully and irrigation canals to water their farms (Salt Lake City)

• Property was taxed, and use of water, timber, and other natural resources were regulated

• Industries were developed so they could be self-sufficient

• Mormon merchants sold supplies to the 49ers who passed through Utah on their way to California

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

A B

C

D

0% 0%0%0%

Mormons used irrigation to water crops at

A. Deseret

B. New York City

C. San Francisco

D. Boomtowns in California

Utah Territory• 1850- Congress established

the Utah Territory• President Millard Fillmore

made Brigham Young the governor or Utah

• By 1860- There were many Mormon communities throughout Utah

• Utah was NOT easily incorporated into the US

• The Mormons often had conflicts with federal officials

• In 1857 and 1858- War almost broke out between the Mormons and the US Army

• Utah did not become a state until 1896

What factors affected the settlement of California and Utah in the West?

-Rapid growth in population and in economic activity to serve the growing population

-Growth led to need for more effective government, resulting in the writing of a state constitution and statehood in 1850

Chapter 12 Section 4 Quiz

The world's supply of gold was more than doubled by

Lev

i Stra

uss.

boom

towns.

the

Califo

rnia

Gold

R...

John S

utte

r.

25% 25%25%25%A. Levi Strauss.

B. boomtowns.

C. the California Gold Rush.

D. John Sutter.

:10

California's request for statehood caused a crisis in Congress because of

gold

.

Morm

ons.

vig

ilante

s.

sla

very

.

25% 25%25%25%A. gold.

B. Mormons.

C. vigilantes.

D. slavery.

:10

Who founded the Mormon church?

Lev

i Stra

uss

Brig

ham Y

oung

John S

utte

r

Jose

ph Sm

ith

25% 25%25%25%A. Levi Strauss

B. Brigham Young

C. John Sutter

D. Joseph Smith

:10

Who became head of the Mormon church after the founder died in 1844?

Brig

ham Y

oung

Jose

ph Sm

ith

Lev

i Stra

uss

John S

utte

r

25% 25%25%25%A. Brigham Young

B. Joseph Smith

C. Levi Strauss

D. John Sutter

:10

Which of the following made the largest single migration in history?

forty

-nin

ers

Morm

ons

Gold

Rush

min

ers

Gold

Rush

mer

chan

ts

25% 25%25%25%A. forty-niners

B. Mormons

C. Gold Rush miners

D. Gold Rush merchants

:10

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