QIU Teng    School of History

Abstract: California Gold Rush is one of the greatest historical events in the history of American western development. At the beginning of 1848, gold mine was discovered across the Pacific where California was. However, the accidental discovery would have deep influence on American Westward Movement, western development and even the whole American history, The thesis mainly discusses a certain period of history, which is from the discovery of gold mine in California in 1848 to the rise of the early Conservation Movement in the early 20th century, and the environmental problems that was caused by the California Gold Rush as well as whose environmental effect on California and even American society.

There are four chapters in the thesis:

Chapter one mainly talks about the outline of California Gold Rush and the reason why Gold Rush came into being. The gold mine had been discovered twice before 1848.while these two discoveries of the gold mine didn't form Gold Rush. However, the discovery of gold mine in1848 led to a large scale of Gold Rush. The reason in which are worth our studies. Meanwhile the writer will be able to make the readers understand the contents about the analysis of Californian environmental problems during the Gold Rushmore thoroughly through the description of the California Gold Rush in chapter one. Chapter two mainly focus on the environmental problems in California during the Gold Rush, which is also the main contents of the thesis. This chapter mainly analyzes the contents from two aspects including environment pollution and ecological destruction About environment pollution, the thesis mainly elucidates through two angles, that is iron smelting factories and the refinery of mercury. For the aspect of environmental destruction, the thesis chooses to analyze from the aspects of land destruction, river ecological destruction and vegetation deterioration. In this chapter, the wrier tries to show the readers the environment problems in California of this period by picking the typical cases of environmental destruction in California during the Gold Rush and historical theories.

Chapter three describes the reason why the environment problems in California during the Gold Rush came into being. In this chapter, the writer analyzes the reason from three angles, that is the gold miners’ endless desires, the huge pressure of population which is formed by the increasing population and the demand for life after the discovery of the gold mine, and the great destruction to the environment caused by the use of Hydraulic Mining.

Chapter four analyzes the social effects of the environmental problems in California during the Gold Rush. The appearance of the environmental problems in California during the Gold Rush had important impact of promotion on the early legislation of the natural resources protection and the realization of the sense of environmental protection. In this chapter, the writer chooses several angles to analyze such as the impact of promotion on the early sense of environmental protection in America, and the early American legislation of natural resources protection especially the Mining Law of 1872 . The writer tries to analyze the social effects completely and objectively.

Read the article here:      淘金热时期加利福尼亚环境问题探析_邱腾.pdf