| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (52 min. 53 sec.) ; 318274752 bytes |
| Summary |
"Gold represented the possibility of starting anew, of being a new person, inventing a new self. It's a metaphor for hope." - Isabel Allende.On January 24, 1848, James Marshall found gold near the fork of the American and Sacramento Rivers, and unleashed a massive migration from around the world to what had been a forgotten backwater. With head-spinning speed, these gold-seekers created one of the most extraordinary societies in history - hard-driving, overwhelmingly make, often brutal.The Gold Rush is a two-part documentary series about a remarkable international event. Incorporating rare and exquisite daguerreotypes and original recreations, The Gold Rush offers a vivid new portrait of a seminal event in North America's history.The Gold Rush was an international event - gold-seekers from Oregon and Hawaii, Mexico, Chile, England, France, Australia, Ireland and China were soon knee-deep in water in the diggings. Each found themselves playing the Great California Lottery, in which luck not hard work or honesty, seemed the key to success.The series focuses on five determined adventurers: an impoverished Chilean aristocrat, anxious to recoup his family's fortunes; a strong-minded Missouri woman who refused to be left behind when her husband came down with gold fever; a California school teacher with dreams of becoming a land owner; a New England sea captain's son with everything to prove; and a New York blacksmith who wrenched himself away from his wife and children to risk all that he had in the hope of securing a more prosperous future. For some, gold brought tremendous wealth, for others, devastating financial ruin. But its ramifications went well beyond the economic sphere - it also changed the face and shape of America at breakneck speed. In 1850, California became the 31st state fulfilling the promise of westward expansion. It also became the newest destination for thousands of immigrants from around the world. In 1852 alone, 20,000 Chinese newcomers passed through the San Francisco Customs House - 2000 of them in a single day. Chilean and Mexican miners also descended on the new state and jockeyed with Anglo Americans for the riches the The Gold Rush promised. But with the shift in racial balance, came unthinkable acts of racism. (From the US, in English) (Documentary Series) (Part 1) |
| Event |
Broadcast 2010-04-15 at 19:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: PG |
| Subject |
Gold miners -- Attitudes.
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Gold miners -- Social life and customs.
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Gold mines and mining.
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Migration, Internal -- Economic aspects.
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Racism -- Psychological aspects.
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California -- San Francisco.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
MacLowry, Randall, director
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