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The Gold Rush has had a great impact upon our citizens, western settlers and Native Americans. Although the rush for gold has helped some miners, many Native Americans have suffered. The native population is dying out as a result of diseases and mistreatment. However, the territory of California has applied for statehood and was admitted very recently. It's constitution outlaws slavery, but does not allow for African Americans to vote. For many former slaves, the statehood of California has changed their lives because they have been granted their freedom. The statehood of California has created turmoil, since it disrupted the balance of slave and free states. Southerners fear that because the statehood of California makes free states outnumber slave states, Northerners might use their majority to abolish slavery. This is very stressful for many of our government leaders, specifically President Franklin Pierce. Could this unbalance cause a conflict

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While many see westward expansion as a blessing to Americans, I see it as another example of unfair treatment to natives. By Natives,  I mean of course the Indian tribes residing in the Pacific and plains area. The pioneering of the whiteman has come to a great cost to the American Natives. In a very few years, the Native American population of California has fallen from 150,000 to near 70,000. As a peaceful settler in the west, I have seen hundreds of Indians fall to new diseases and to the rifles of my fellow Americans. I have tried to help the Natives, however my work is in vain. Many Californios have lost land to newcomers who do not respect their customs and rights. One man, Mariano Vallejo even lost 300 acres to the western settlers. Is this giving the Natives the respect they deserve? I feel that the cost of westward expansion is too high, if white men cannot accept the Native Americans. White settlement should not inflict upon the lives of others.

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Levi Johnson

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The Gold Rush and American expansion has greatly improved our country Although many other migrants to the west may disagree, the move out west was beneficial. The port of San Francisco has grown by 35 thousand people in just five years. It has become a center for shipping and trade as a result of it's economic growth. The American people has also acquired new land, as seen in the Gadsden Purchase, annexation of  Texas and the  negotiation of the Oregon Territory. With these new lands we can complete the railroad that is slowly spanning the country. There will be more land for farming and the planting of crops. Overall, westward expansion has greatly improved the lives of white Americans,  expanding trade and increasing farm space.

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By: Stanley Hemingway