California Gold Rush

Conflict & Compromise:

Gold Rush & California's Admittance as a Free State

1856

Citations: Bibliography & Pictography

Compromise Leads to

Appointment of Free States

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V1ybTbmZWA2dl3GNCd88sfRB8OxDFM3xI8YAW9UxVM0/edit?usp=sharing

1852

A political map of the United States was drawn up in 1856 to showcase the number of free and slave states. The map shows the division drawn by the Missouri Compromise, which banned slavery north of the line with the exception of Missouri. A portion of the Missouri Compromise was nullified as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed the citizens of Kansas to personally decide how slavery would be dealt with. Printed on the map are the words, "Designed to exhibit the comparative area of the free and slave states and the territory open to slavery or freedom by the repeal of the Missouri compromise. With a comparison of the principal statistics of the free and slave states, from the census of 1850.” As shown, California was admitted into the Union as a free state, as a result of the Compromise of 1850.

Economic Status of Miners

Purchasing Freedom

This source is a photograph of miners in Auburn Ravine California in 1852. It has an unknown author and was taken to properly historically document the miners in California at this time. As you can see, the photograph consists of both white and asian miners that have immigrated in search of wealth. The miners are dirty and look to be in bad conditions, showing that it was mostly a job for poor Americans. Most importantly, this piece shows the amount of immigration from Asia and other parts of the world that dominated California at this time. In the photo, although there is segregation between the races, diversity is shown in the working class. Blacks, whites, and immigrants needed to work together to help prosper the economy of California. Many of the the whites who moved to this area were poor and could not afford slaves; therefore there were few slaves and no need for California to become a slave state. Also, since there were other groups of immigrants now moving to California, blacks were not discriminated as much in this part of the country. Less people saw slavery as an option, and California opted to become a free state. This shows the conflict that even though California could have become a slavery state because of its location, it better fit as a part of the Union because of its diverse working class and lack of slave labor.

On August 2nd of 1852, a signed bill of sale was produced between a slave named Thomas Gilman and his master, J. B. Gilman. The document recorded the official purchase of Thomas’s freedom by his own self, under which $1,000 granted him the liberation and release from further bondage.The compromise Thomas was able to reach with his owner was not shared by all. While Thomas moved to Tuolumne County until 1911, southerners had begun to transfer between 200 and 300 slaves to the mines. However, the official admission of California into the Union as a free state, under the Compromise of 1850, assisted in ending the practice.

1850

1849

Mining Diversity

Compromise of 1850 Land Distribution

The Immorality of Slavery

Gold Rush Entices Diverse Crowd

Celebration of California’s Free-State Admission

Gold Rush Excitement Leads to Foreign Employment

Degradation of Labor

“The majority—four-fifths, we believe—of the inhabitants of California are opposed to slavery. They believe it to be an evil and a wrong * * and while they would rigidly and faithfully protect the vested rights of the South, they deem it a high moral duty to prevent its extension and aid its extinction by every honorable means.”

This photograph depicts miners at work in Kelsey in El Dorado County California during the year 1852. As you can see, both blacks and whites are working side by side in this picture to try and earn a living, showing the equality there promised to be in California at this time. Although blacks made up a small part of the population, it showed early signs of ethnic diversity in this area. Only about 200 to 300 blacks in the gold mines of California were held as slaves- the rest free. Often times, slaves purchased their freedom of were set free by deceased owners, which allowed them to become part of the working class of America. Some represented themselves as associating with white miners to protect themselves from becoming slaves again. This picture fits into the topic “conflict and compromise” because it shows how both black and white miners created compromise to work together for the growth of California’s economy. California had no need to become a slave state, because of the amount of blacks considered “free” that made up the poor, working class, along with white miners, and contributed to California’s economy.

Manifest Destiny

“The causes which exclude slavery from California lie within a nutshell. All there are diggers, and free white diggers won’t dig with slaves. They know they must dig themselves; they have come out here for that purpose, and they won’t degrade their calling by associating it with slave labor. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. They have nothing to do with slavery in the abstract or as it exists in other communities * * they must themselves swing the pick, and they won’t swing it by the side of negro slaves. That is the upshot of the whole business.”

-Walter Colton

On July 28, 1849, a prominent Monterey pioneer by the name of Jacob P. Leese had no other option than to sign an article of agreement in order to hire a much needed cook from Hong Kong. As a result of the newfound gold, laborers of all types had abandoned their places of work to join in the excitement of the Gold Rush. The insufficiency of labor in California lent to the employment of foreigners, such as Hong Kong native cook Affon. The compromise reached settled a wage of fifteen dollars per month in addition to shelter, food and other necessities in exchange for three years’ worth of Affon’s services.

On July 28, 1849, a prominent Monterey pioneer by the name of Jacob P. Leese had no other option than to sign an article of agreement in order to hire a much needed cook from Hong Kong. As a result of the newfound gold, laborers of all types had abandoned their places of work to join in the excitement of the Gold Rush. The insufficiency of labor in California lent to the employment of foreigners, such as Hong Kong native cook Affon. The compromise reached settled a wage of fifteen dollars per month in addition to shelter, food and other necessities in exchange for three years’ worth of Affon’s services.In addition to hiring outsiders to help around the house like Mr. Leese did, other looked for slaves to help them dig for gold. Contracting slaves, however, stirred up tension in the mines over slavery’s impact on the dignity of the free-willed diggers working beside the enslaved. The need for workers as a result of the Gold Rush therefore aroused further tension regarding the conflict of slavery.

On February 11, 1849, the Alta California wrote of the immorality associated with the institution of slavery. California strongly opposed the incorporation of such evil into it’s everyday society, stated the newspaper article. The deliverance of such passionate disapproval to the system of slavery emphasized California’s desire to officially be declared a free state under the Union. Slavery was by no means to be a subject of compromise.

At the Constitutional Convention in Monterey, Walter Colton spoke of the injustice served towards laborers, specifically white, with the allowance of slavery into the mines. By consenting to the inclusion of slaves in with the independent, hard workers in pursuit of striking rich, the pride associated with the dig was obliterated. Though a mix of miners could be found, the affiliation of slavery and slave labor with that of an endeavor of free white men specifically tarnished the image of self-reliant diggers. Nobody, including some free blacks, wanted the wealthy to hire slaves to mine. The concept of slaves working the mines took away from the rugged individualism that the adventure of going West in search of one’s destiny provided. Colton understood the issue slavery raised in response to the continued dignity of all laborers and ascertained that people were aware of the conflict’s negative impact on the current situation

This image shows the territorial boundaries of the slave and non-slave parts of the United States after the Missouri Compromise of 1850. Southerners didn’t like the idea of California being such a large territory, because of the amount of land that would now be considered “anti-slave”. However, northerners did like this because they felt like it would be a push towards abolishing slavery in the United States. This created more tension between the north and the south because the amount of land that was considered “anti-slave” overpowered the amount of land in the south that was “pro-slave”.

The acceptance of California’s petition to enter the Union as a free state occurred on September 9th of 1850. However, news of the admission did not reach the West Coast until October of that same year. The grand celebration of California’s admission therefore happened, as depicted in the painting, on October 29, 1850. After much argument and compromise, California was finally recognized a free state of the Union, satisfying the majority’s conflictions with the employment of slavery.

Manifest Destiny was the widely held belief that it was destiny for Americans to settle into and expand their territory in the west. The term originated from newspaper editor John O’Sullivan to tag his mindset into a phrase. Many settlers believed that it was their divine right to settle into California, and they became some of the first to cross the Mississippi River. Missionaries had a goal to christianize Native American tribes in California, partially explaining why so many settled there. This relates to the California gold rush because it shows that many of the people who came to California had drive, and felt like they were meant to be there. In general, white Californians did not like the idea of any black person (slave or not) working beside them because they felt they were taking away their opportunity to have Manifest Destiny in the west.

Conflict & Compromise Over Slavery

1848

Slavery Economically Frowned Upon

In the coming of the Civil War, major disagreements over slavery boiled into an eruption of ultimately unsatisfying compromises. California's role as one of the causes of the Civil War all began with the famous Gold Rush of 1848...

“... The simple recognition of slavery here would be looked upon as a greater misfortune to the territory than though California had remained in its former state... * * We believe, though slavery could not be generally introduced, that its recognition would blast the prospects of the country. It would make it disreputable for the white man to labor for his bread, and it would thus drive off to other homes the only class of emigrants California wishes to see, the sober and industrious middle-class of society. We would, therefore, on the part of 90 per cent of the population of this country, most solemnly protest against the introducing of this blight upon the prosperity of the home of our adoption. We should look upon it as an unnecessary moral, intellectual and social curse to ourselves and posterity.”

–California Star

California's Conflict & Compromise

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C06KfViwC4KGPaVGSF1gIpeR0rLcQBK4_0RXYsuAKNo/edit?usp=sharing

1847

On March 25, 1848, The California Star wrote that the prospect of slavery was not favorably looked upon as an option for California. In the newspaper article it was stated that the adoption of slavery in a working, white middle-class society would only degrade the economic value placed on the existing white labor.The institution of slavery would therefore impose upon the dignity of the laborers, thus initiating further conflict between the white and colored workers.

The Wilmont Proviso

“Provided, That, as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the United States, by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between them, and to the use by the Executive of the moneys herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for crime, whereof the party shall first be duly convicted.”

– The Wilmot Proviso

The Wilmot Proviso was a proposition created by David Wilmot, a Pennsylvania representative aiming to ban slavery, and introduced to the senate and house of representatives in 1846. It stated that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude would exist in the territory gained from the Mexican-American War. Although Proviso would be considered racist by today’s standards he wanted to outlaw slavery and indentured servitude in the new Mexican territory (including California) gained from the war because he envisioned California as a place for free Pennsylvania whites to find work, without having to compete with slave labor. In order for this proviso to be passed, both the Senate and House of Representatives needed to approve it. The northern dominated house passed the proviso numerous times but the Senate (equally made up of northern and southern states) would not pass it. This added to the conflict between the North and the South because of their disagreement on how slavery should have been defined in the new Mexican territory.