HIST 389: Topics in US. History.

HIST 389-014: Gold Rush
(Spring 2012)

07:20 PM to 10:00 PM T

Section Information for Spring 2012

The California Gold Rush was one of the iconic events in American History. The dangerous trip over the prairies, mountains and deserts by wagon train in 1849; the grizzled miner bending over a pan looking for “color;” the mining camps where no government authority reached; the “Eureka” cry when a miner found gold and the discouragement of coming up empty: all these are images one imagines when thinking about the gold rush. But who were these goldrushers? How did they find out about the gold, how to get to California, and how to mine it? What were their problems on the California trail? How much gold did they find and who found it? What were the results of the of the gold rush in terms of economics, transportation and development, and California history? We will cover all these questions and more. The gold rush is more than a collection of interesting events; it is a rich case study in U.S. social and cultural history in which tens of thousands of middle and working class European-American men from the eastern U.S. encountered and had to live and compete with diverse cultures and races. The gold rush was an important, and disastrous, event in Native American history. The migration were predominately of white men, which strongly affected the role of women, both those who stayed in the East with new responsibilities and power, and the few who went West with an altered role in a massively male society. We will relate the gold rush events to the great themes of social and cultural history.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Study of historical topics or periods of special interest. Notes: Topics announced in advance. May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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