Standard: 4.3 [thumbnail images for this section]

This table is designed to support teachers in aligning the visual images with the big ideas suggested by the applicable standard. The essential questions and topical questions may guide the discussion of and inquiry around these big ideas.

Big Idea:
Economic factors influence geographic, cultural, and political change. People move to improve their lives or because they are forced.
Essential Question:
What was the impact of sudden wealth, or the promise of sudden wealth, on the daily lives of people?
Topical Questions:
What was the impact of the Gold Rush on immigration?
Compare the impact of the Gold Rush on San Diegans as compared with people living in northern California.
What was the impact of the Gold Rush on California’s economy and population?
Framework Connection:
Students should consider how the Gold Rush changed California by bringing sudden wealth to the state, affecting its population, culture, and politics.
Analysis Skills:
Chronological and Spatial Thinking: 1, 2,3, 5
Research, Evidence, and Point of View: 2, 3
Historical Interpretation: 2, 3