On January 24, 1998, the state of California began a celebration of the 1848 discovery of gold in California. Speaking before 9,000 people at the commemoration, Pete Wilson, California's governor at the time, said: "It's a great day. What a wonderful thing, to celebrate our past and be so grateful, no matter how we got here, no matter what our origins." Wilson said. I found this article and was astonished on what the Governor was saying. I would have thought he might have been educated enough not to say these words.
Its amazing what people do not know. I was amazed to hear how President Polk was so determined to get everyone out of California who wasn't "white". My opinion, he is up there with Jackson. (see what Columbus started!)
The Gold Rush is covered with the blood of thousands of victims. Writing at the time, author Henry David Thoreau called it "the greatest disgrace to mankind." For the indigenous native people, non-European immigrants, and African-Americans, the story of the Gold Rush is one of oppression, discrimination, and genocide.
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I believe that Henry David Thoreau was right in saying that the Gold Rush was a disgrace to mankind. The California gold rush left thousands of gold speculators without a dime to their name all in the pursuit of getting rich quickly. I always talk about California in class because it is such a stark difference from Kansas. The get rick quick mentality still exists in California to this day. The amount of materialism that exists in that state also cannot be imagined if you have not lived there. I always think it is interesting to see how traces of history still exist in certain areas.
I think learning about stuff like this is good, because (in theory) it shouldn't happen again. It almost always does, but you know, that's a different story.
I agree that the Gold Rush was a terrible period for many people living in California at the time. It is really appalling to know what some people are capable of for the sake of gold.
I totally agree with what you are saying. I think because we are so proud of the country we live in today that people look back on the darker points in American history as a means to an end
Excellent example Rachael of certain American "myths" enduring to the present. The California gold rush in particular was certainly less than a "wonderful thing" for many people. Discrimination against non-Euro-Americans and conflict between classes were as important (if not more so) than getting rich.
When Wilson it doesn't matter how we got here, I don't think he was celebrating the displacement of native people. I think he was referring to the new opportunities that arose from west migration.
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