Primary Source Analysis Assignment (20 pts.) Due Sunday, September 19th before 11:59 PM, No late work Accepted Primary sources are sources created in the historical period being researched and by historical actors themselves. (Contrast this with secondary sources, which are after-the-fact scholarly analyses of the past.) They can be maps, diaries, letters, memoirs, newspaper articles, government documents, posters, pamphlets, photographs, advertisements, paintings, films, novels, songs—just to name a few. The purpose of this assignment is to work on how to analyze a primary source. The examples on the following pages are an excerpt of a memoir, photographs, and letters regarding the experience of women during the California Gold Rush that initiated in 1848. For this assignment, I would like you to think concretely and critically about its content, its historical context, and the historical cultural values that shape it. Each document has an introduction about the subject and also questions to think about when reading or viewing the documents. Use these to help you write your essay. Also think about the following: What challenges did these women face during California’s Gold Rush? What do the women mention about the discovery of Gold in California? What historical facts do you learn from these sources? Feel free to use your textbook or any other legit source (journal articles, textbooks) to elaborate about the Gold Rush. Assignment must be 2-3 pages long (no more, no less), double spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, a word document, citations = MLA format.
 

The California gold rush of the 1840's begun what can be termed today as the breaking of the gender boundaries. Before, women solely relied on their male counterparts to work and provide for their families as they took care of the family. During the Gold rush, women had to take on more tasks as their husbands left home in the hope of finding gold. With their partners away from home for a long time, they had to find creative ways to feed their children. The gold rush period represents a shift in gender roles.

From the memoirs provided, we come across different women trying to make it in a male-dominated world. First, Luzena Stanley Wilson was a representative of the beginning of modern women. From her memoirs, it is clear that she was a woman free from societal constraints on the role of women. She tells us of the poor condition of her home and how she saw it prudent to get involved in business to improve their living condition (DuBois and Dumenil, 258). At the beginning of her memoirs, she tells that she began her hotel to rival another. She did not rely on her husband as most women did back then and constructed the hotel with her own hands (DuBois and Dumenil, 258). Luna is an ambitious woman who is not afraid of conceptualizing her ideas and making them a reality. During the first few weeks, Luzena did all the work by herself at the hotel, which involved cooking, cleaning and serving her customers. She also sourced for her agricultural produce negotiating with other men. Luna is brilliant, and when she brings her husband into the business, he becomes her partner. She maintains control over her business and grows it rapidly, eventually employing others as she enjoys the fruits of her labour.

The memoirs also tell us the story of Nancy Gooch. Nancy comes to California through her slave master William Gooch. She and her husband Peter were brought to assist their master as he searched for gold (DuBois and Dumenil, 260). The abolishment of chattel slavery in1850 gave Nancy and her husband the chance to work and acquire lands and property. Despite the punitive laws such as the fugitive slave law, Nancy could work and save enough to reunite with her son Andrew whom they had left behind when their master brought them to California. Nancy's continued to work even after her husband's death and provide for her family as a single mother during the gold rush attaining enough wealth to live a luxurious life.

On the other hand, the memoirs also show the negative side of the gold rush through Barbara Longknife's letters. Barbara and her husband William, alongside other Cherokee nation natives, moved to California in search of a better life. Her life becomes one of constant struggle to feed and take care of her family. In one of her letters, she says that sickness has plagued her family and the little they earn mostly goes towards offsetting their medical bills (DuBois and Dumenil, 262). Her daughter becomes blinds compounding her problems further as she requires special attention. Barbara longs to go back to her ancestral land but can't because they lack money to travel back and have to make do with what they earn to survive. She says that California is not what she envisioned before and advises her friend to discourage others from coming because they will struggle a lot to earn a decent living.

The memoirs from the three women show the different sides of the gold rush. Their fortunes are not the same. Also, with the gender barriers that existed during the period, the women had to work extra hard and take more tasks to take care of their families.