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Americans Rush West

Mormons, Gold Rush, Diverse Population. Americans Rush West. Mormons Settle in Utah. Mormons – religious group that settled in the Mexican Cession Trouble with Neighbors Founded by Joseph Smith Their beliefs angered many non-Mormons and they were forced out of New York into Illinois

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Americans Rush West

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  1. Mormons, Gold Rush, Diverse Population Americans Rush West

  2. Mormons Settle in Utah • Mormons – religious group that settled in the Mexican Cession • Trouble with Neighbors • Founded by Joseph Smith • Their beliefs angered many non-Mormons and they were forced out of New York into Illinois • In Illinois, Smith was killed by a mob and Brigham Young took over

  3. The Journey of the Mormons • Difficult Journey • For their safety, the Mormons decided to move to Utah • In 1847, they settled by the Great Salt Lake • Life in the Desert • Young thought Utah was the promised land for Mormons • They used irrigation systems to survive • Mormons took the Native American land without paying for it • In 1850, Brigham Young became governor of Utah

  4. California Gold Rush • Sutter’s Mill • John Sutter owned a saw mill in California • While his crew was digging, they discovered gold • News spread and thousands of Americans caught “gold fever” • Forty-niners – more than 80,000 people made the journey to California in 1849.

  5. Gold Rush Continued • Working in the Gold Fields • Easy to find gold near the surface at first • Later on, miners went “panning for gold” • Loading sand and gravel from the river in a washing pan and gently swirling it • Few miners actually struck it rich • Women also came out to California to mine and run boardinghouses

  6. Gold Rush Continued • A New State • San Francisco grew into a large city • Some of the men turned to crime when they couldn’t find gold • Vigilantes – self-appointed law enforcers • Sometimes, people accused of crimes were lynched – hanged without a trial • Because of the lawlessness, California applied to become a state in 1849 which caused issues in the Senate over slavery

  7. A Diverse Population • Mexican Americans and Indians • Many Mexican Americans lost lands their families had owned for generations • Many Native Americans lost land or died of starvation, disease, and murder • Chinese Americans • Faced prejudice • Many worked on the transcontinental railroad • African Americans • Had the richest African American population • But many still faced discrimination

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