The Object of History | Behind the Scenes with the Curators of the National Museum of American History

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  What industries sprang up around the gold mining towns?

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  What was the impact of the discovery of gold on the land and the peoples of California?

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  What role did Mormons play in the story of the Gold Rush in California?

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  Why do you think that people were willing to come to California?

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  How did the notion of "manifest destiny" figure into the gold rush?

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  What is the story of the discovery of gold?

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  Were only American citizens involved with the gold rush?

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  Who was the typical gold miner?

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  What does the nugget look like?

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  By Sea: Routes to California via Panama and Cape Horn

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  By Land: a Map of the Overland Routes to the Gold Region

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  San Francisco Harbor

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