How to Write a Report on the California Gold Rush
When gold was discovered at the American River in 1848, it triggered a stampede. Half a million people from all over the world, lured by the though of striking it rich, descended on California. People sold their possessions and grub-staked themselves to find the mother-lode on the gold fields. The term "49er" came to denote someone who left home in 1848 and spent a year getting to California. By 1852, the state's gold production reached an all-time high for the era of $81 million. The California gold rush is an epic that is rich with possible topics for your report.
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Instructions
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Jot down the issues you are going to include in your report on the California gold rush, such as where people came from and what happened as a result of the population explosion. Arrange the points in the order of importance. Work from an outline to write your report, because it helps you stay focused.
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Start your report with a thesis statement about how California witnessed the biggest gold rush ever. Continue your introduction with an overview of how people have historically found the lure of gold compelling. Mention the countries the miners came from, including China, Turkey and France.
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Discuss what happened to the Native American people as a result of the gold rush. Historian Richard White wrote that what was done to Native people during this period bordered on genocide.
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Include some statistics in your report about the gold rush. In 1850, for instance, 92 percent of the population in California was male. In 1848 a typical day's wage working on the Erie Canal was 88 cents. The average wage for a California placer miner was $20 a day.
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Mention some of the songs of the California gold rush era. While people still sing "O My Darling Clementine" they don't know that reference "I'm a miner,49-er" is to the gold rush.
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Write a supporting paragraph about how the gold rush changed California. Talk about how many people did not have the money to return home, so they settled in the state. Touch on how the infrastructure developed as a result of the increased population.
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Summarize your report about the California gold rush in your concluding paragraph. No new information should be introduced in this section.
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Leave your report for a day or so and then return to it with a fresh eye. Edit for grammar and spelling mistakes. Ask a friend or family member with good editing skills to have a look at your report. It is always good to have a second reader for a report.
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References
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