Upon hearing of the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill in California in the 1840s, a flood of migrants went West in search of wealth and fame. Others, such as Chinese workers, came from farther away. Using video clips from historians and archivists showing artifacts, pupils explore the California Gold Rush and its legacy on the American West.

Concepts

the california gold rush, american history, california history, california, westward expansion, chinese immigration, wealth

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Create an essay and ask pupils to use the resource to help them answer the prompt
• Use videos to set up a project to research the various groups who migrated to California during the 1840s

Classroom Considerations

• To access the videos, create a free C-SPAN Classroom account or use the following login credentials: Username: students, Password: C-SPANCLASSROOM
  

Pros

• Images of artifacts are engaging
• Clips explore groups often marginalized in history

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.4 RH.9-10.6 RH.9-10.10 RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.4 RH.11-12.6 RH.11-12.10