San Francisco Gold Rush
by Jim Hatch
Title
San Francisco Gold Rush
Artist
Jim Hatch
Medium
Digital Art - Canvas, Archivel Paper
Description
One of James K. Polk’s last major acts as president was also one of his most consequential: He helped set off the California Gold Rush.
Polk’s deed came during his final State of the Union in December 1848. After discussing the recently concluded Mexican-American War, the president got to the point: There was gold in those California hills. A sawmill worker named James Marshall had spotted flecks of metal in a stream bed, and word was starting to get out.
“The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief,” Polk told Congress.
There were already at least 4,000 gold prospectors in California, he reported. There would soon be many more. His announcement helped spark a mad dash for riches that would transform the distant American territory into the “Golden State” and leave an imprint on the national consciousness that lingers today.
Uploaded
February 8th, 2024
Embed
Share