Bedford Public Library

The age of gold, the California Gold Rush and the new American dream, H.W. Brands

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. 493-527) and index

index present

non fiction

The age of gold

bibliography

36809849326978

H.W. Brands

the California Gold Rush and the new American dream

When gold was first discovered on the American River above Sutter's Fort in January 1848, California was a sparsely populated frontier territory that had yet to be officially ceded to the United States following the war with Mexico. The astonishing news - gold in California! - prompted hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to flock to California in hopes of finding instant riches ... By 1850, California had become a state - the fastest journey to statehood in U.S. history. In [this book, the author] explores the far-reaching implications of this pivotal point in U.S. history, interweaving the politics of the times with the ... stories of both the ordinary and the famous ... displaying both the best and worst of the American character. He illuminates the national issues that exploded around the ratification of California's statehood, including the storm over slavery that would ultimately lead to the Civil War. He recounts the great fortunes won - and lost. And most of all, he reveals the profound effect the Gold Rush had on the way Americans viewed their destinies, as the notion of striking it rich quickly transformed the traditional Puritan ethic of hard work and the gradual accumulation of wealth, In the aftermath of the Gold Rush, a new American dream was born - the enduring conviction that sudden wealth was potentially within everyone's grip.-Dust jacket

Machine generated contents note: PART ONE : The Gathering of Peoples (From the World to California: 1848-1849) -- 1. In the Footsteps of Father Serra -- 2. Across the Pacific -- 3. The Peaks of Darien -- 4. To the Bottom of the World and Back -- 5. To See the Elephant -- 6. Where Rivers Die -- PART TWO : From Vulcan's Forge (The Goldfields: 1848-1850s) -- 7. With a Washbowl on My Knee -- 8. A Millennium in a Day -- PART THREE : American Athena (California: 1849-1856) -- 9. The Miracle of St. Francis -- 10. Sutter's Last Stand -- 11. Shaking the Temple -- 12. Children of the Mother Lode -- 13. Reflections in an All-Seeing Eye -- PART FOUR : The Gordian Knot and the Pacific Connection (California and the Union: 1856-1869) -- 14. The Pathfinder's Return -- 15. South by West -- 16. From Sea to Shining Sea -- PART FIVE : The New El Dorado (America in the Age of Gold) -- 17. Prometheus Unbound -- 18. American Dreamers