Blacks in Gold Rush CaliforniaIn the two years after the discovery of gold as Sutter's Mill in 1848, one hundred thousand persons made the difficult trek to California in search of quick wealth. One thousand of them were blacks. By 1860 there were five thousand. They formed the largest voluntary migration of American blacks before the Civil War. Yet few whites then or now have been aware of the part that blacks played in America's epic adventure. Most black Forty-niners went west less to escape a hard lot than to seek their fortune. Some mined alone or together with whites, others formed companies of their own. They included both free blacks and slaves. Lapp examines their life in mining communities and their relationships with other minorities and with whites. He also records for the first time in detail the history of the California Colored Conventions, examining the ideology and eastern origin of its leadership, its problems, and the exodus of many of its members to Canada. Altogether, the author has pieced together a coherent and fascinating narrative of this missing chapter of history. -- from Book Jacket. |
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Contents
in California | 126 |
Convention Movement | 186 |
The Three Conventions | 210 |
The Exodus to Victoria | 239 |
The Last Years of the Decade | 255 |
Notes | 275 |
Bibliographical Essay | 307 |
Common terms and phrases
activities Alta American Angeles antislavery Appeal Archy arrived attempted August Bancroft became black community British brought Bulletin California called church Civil colored committee continued convention County court decade December delegates Douglass early England evidence fact February felt followed free Negroes freedom friends gold rush held hundred important Indian interest January John Journal Judge July known later leaders leave letter Library lived March Marysville master meeting Mexican miners mining months moved named Negro newspaper North northern noted November October organized Panama party passed persons petition population present Proceedings Quaker record remained reported result returned Reverend River route Sacramento San Francisco ship slave slavery Society southern Street testimony tion took town Union United West wife woman wrote York young
Bibliographic information
| Title | Blacks in Gold Rush California The Lamar Series in Western History Volume 29 of Yale Western Americana series |
| Author | Rudolph M. Lapp |
| Edition | unabridged |
| Publisher | Yale University Press, 1977 |
| ISBN | 0300065450, 9780300065459 |
| Length | 321 pages |
| Subjects | › › Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |