California Gold RushThe California Gold Rush is one of the greatest events in United States history. The Gold Rush occurred when gold was discovered by James .W. Marshall in 1848 in San Francisco, California. When this happened, emotions erupted in San Francisco (primary site of the Gold Rush). Word spread so quickly that people from all over the United States flocked to San Francisco, causing overpopulation ("California Gold Rush"). In 6 years during the gold rush, the population increased by nearly 36,000 inhabitants (“California Gold Rush”). Overpopulation set in and it was a major problem. This problem increased murders, arsons, thefts, and overall a lot of crime ("The California Gold Rush"). More people meant more houses taken, and most of the time people had a place to sleep. This is the effect that the California Gold Rush had on San Francisco. The California Gold Rush was a popular event in United States history. A big part of the gold rush was overpopulation. There were so many people in San Francisco when the gold was discovered. Only about 200 residents lived in San Francisco before Marshall discovered gold in 1848 ("California Gold Rush"). When they discovered gold, the news spread extremely quickly. People heard about it and quickly took the train to San Francisco. It was previously said that there were about 200 residents in San Francisco in 1846, and two years later gold was discovered, sparking the California Gold Rush. Four years after the Gold Rush of 1852, there were more than 36,000 residents in San Francisco ("California Gold Rush"). This caused so much overpopulation and affected San Francisco in a huge way. Now, when a place, like San Francisco, is overrun by pop... middle of paper... people, this has caused a lot more crime. There wasn't enough for everyone, people had no money and had to sleep on the streets. Some could not buy food and they stole or killed because of it. Additionally, many diseases were spreading which would lead to deaths. Other types of crimes were also thefts, kidnappings and arsons. Eventually, people left empty-handed, something they had no dreams of doing ("California Gold Rush"). The Gold Rush had many negative aspects, but also positive aspects, such as a better economy. "The California Gold Rush". The California Gold Rush. Np, and Web. January 27, 2014. “California Gold Rush.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 24, 2014. Web. January 25, 2014. “The Effects of the Gold Rush.” The effects of the gold rush. Np, and Web. January 24, 2014.Lapp, Rudolph M. Blacks in Gold Rush California. New Haven: Yale UP, 1977. Print.