On 24 January 1848, the Gold Rush began in the USA. It all started at the Sutter’s Mill near the town of Coloma. James Marshall, who worked for John Sutter, discovered the pieces of gold on the American River and brought them to Sutter. Sutter was very concerned and wanted this information to remain secret, because he was afraid that his agricultural business would suffer if a massive search for gold began. Nevertheless, the news of the discovery of gold spread rapidly. Soon about 300.000 people arrived in California from other US states and from abroad.
The consequences of the gold rush were numerous. In just a few years, San Francisco grew from a small town to a large settlement. Roads, schools and churches were built in California. A system of laws was created. In 1850 California officially became a US state, which is now often referred to as the Golden State. The agricultural sector developed very quickly as well.
However, the California Gold Rush also had a number of negative consequences, including the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands and harming the environment.
President of the Union of Criminalists and Criminologists
Igor M. Matskevich
Translated by Elizaveta O. Ovchinnikova
