Grasping the California Gold Rush

This week in Mrs. Brazee’s Honors U.S. History class, Shorecrest Upper School students got a feel for Westward expansion by participating in a mock California Gold Rush hunt. Over 225 gold coins were hidden in and around Landy Hall while students acted as "forty-niners" in hopes of striking it rich. 

Before beginning the activity, students were prepped in 19th century expansionism by studying the early industrialization of the United States, Westward expansion, Jacksonian politics and the concept of Manifest Destiny. The assignment was also prefaced by a discussion surrounding the Gold Rush itself, particularly the inequalities that existed between Anglo miners and Chinese/Latino immigrants who were often relegated to mining small areas or areas that had been previously mined by others. Students were challenged to put themselves in the shoes of a variety of miners and imagine what they may have experienced during this historical period.