We discussed the CA gold rush of 1849. It attracted so many new settlers to CA that they (and a current football team) were called the forty-niners. Many people came by sea or via the Oregon or Sante Fe Trails. While 80% of forty-niners were Americans, the remaining 20% came from Mexico, South America, Europe and Australia. The first large group of Asian immigrants also came during the gold rush. We discussed how the gold rush created new communities called "boomtowns." Cities also flourished and San Francisco grew from a tiny village to a large city. The CA Gold Rush more than doubled the world's supply of gold! CA began to grow in population, business and agriculture as a result of the gold rush. President Zachary Taylor wanted CA to become a state. Joining the Union was delayed re: whether CA would be a free or slave state. In 1850, CA became a free U.S. state.