For this essay you will read the journal articles and other sources provided and write a 4-page essay in which you answer and analyze the following question:
Was the Georgia Gold Rush good for Georgia/a positive influence on Georgia?
Why or why not?
Focus Questions:
You are not to answer these questions directly, they are provided only to stimulate your thinking on the assignment (do not use these as subheadings and do not answer them in turn like a worksheet):
● When was the Georgia Gold Rush?
● How long did the gold rush last?
● How was the gold mined in Georgia? Were destructive methods used?
● How much gold was extracted from Georgia mines?
● What happened to the gold after it was extracted?
● Did any of the gold stay in Georgia?
● Was there violence in Georgia’s gold mines?
● Who mined for gold in Georgia?
● What were the specific ramifications of the gold rush on the state?
● What is the legacy of the Georgia Gold Rush?
In this essay you are determining if the Georgia gold rush in the 1820s and 1830s was good for the state of Georgia and analyze why or why not. You are to directly answer the question (was the gold rush good for Georgia) in the first paragraph the rest of your essay should be the analysis (why or why not? prove the gold rush was or was not beneficial to GA) that supports your answer; do not straddle the fence or be ambiguous with your answer. Do not just write a narrative that describes the events of the gold rush. Use 12 pt. font (Times New Roman), one-inch margins, and double-space your essay; citations should be done in the Chicago/Turabian format; notes should be endnotes. Your essay should be a minimum of four full pages in length (not counting endnotes), but feel free to write more. I will grade your essay on: 1) definitively determining if the Georgia gold rush was good for the state of Georgia and providing support and analysis for your answer; 2) the logic and coherence of your answer and analysis; 3) writing and grammar. The only sources you are using for this essay are those listed, use no other sources.
Sources:
● Chapters 3 & 4 in Georgia: A Brief History; documents and essays in Chapter 3 in Empire State
● “Georgia’s Forgotten Industry: Gold Mining” article, part 1
● “Georgia’s Forgotten Industry: Gold Mining” article, part 2
● “Gold Mining in Nineteenth Century Georgia” article