The way that immigrants were treated during the gold rush was terrible. Polish and Chinese
immigrants both had to go through hardships with getting to California to seek out a way of
finding instant wealth. The Polish had their challenges like having many labor jobs that didn’t
pay much, including the Chinese, but what was different from the Chinese was that they had a
Exclusion Act law placed against them due to discrimination that the polish didn’t have. Aside
from both differences, they both went through hardships to get to California.
The discovery of gold in California caught the attention of many people from all parts of the
Americas, Europe, and Asia. “individuals and newly formed associations of fortune hunters
began to make their way to California from elsewhere in the Americas, Europe and Asia.” 1
Across America, men made decisions to make their way to California. People from different
parts of the world were also interested in finding an easy way to gain wealth. Especially
immigrants from Europe, Asia, and South America came to California to follow the American
dream to get rich. I believe that people who came from other countries during the gold rush time
had an intention in their minds to try and make a better life for themselves and their families.
They wanted to escape the hardship that they encountered from their countries.
Moses Bruml was a hardworking shoemaker before he came to America. “I was thirteen
years of age, when in the same city I went to learn my trade, which took me two years to
complete in order to get my certificate. This showed that I could make any article of footwear
such as a shoe or boot.” Moses had to work hard since a young age. He came from a poor family 2
1 BITTERMANN, RUSTY. 2009. "THE PROMISE AND PERILS OF OUT-MIGRATION: THE WILLIAM
COOPER FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA." Island Magazine no. 66: 19-25. America: History and Life with Full
Text, EBSCOhost (accessed April 29, 2018).
2 Bruml, Moses. 1984. "FROM A POLISH TOWN TO GOLD RUSH CALIFORNIA." Western States
Jewish History 17, no. 1: 91-94. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed April 29,
2018).
from a small town in Poland with three brothers and one sister. Five children including himself.
It seems like people during this time had very little resources to make money, which is why kids
had to work ever since they were young. Child labor was very common in the 1800s. “America
was much talked about at this time (1849), and the exciting adventures that formed in my lively
imagination could not be wiped out and even-grew bigger. So I purchased a ticket that was to get
me to New York. In 1849 I started on my journey to America.” Moses planned out his trip to 3
America because gold was talked about in 1849. People were learning about this new thing that
apparently had a huge value. Everyone who heard about this great thing that got discovered in
America, which was gold, could potentially turn their lives around and make t...
