All language subtitles for Gold Rush s01e01 Manifest Destiny.eng

(dramatic percussion)

(dramatic music)

- [Voiceover] "The far
reaching, the boundless future,

"will be the era of
American greatness

"in this magnificent
domain of space and time,

"the nation of many nations

"is destined to
manifest to mankind

"the excellence of
divine principles."

John O'Sullivan.

- [Voiceover] It's always been

and will always be
a predominant theme

of the American people's
psyche to seek out new horizons

and reach as far as their will

and determination can take them.

And then, to reach
out a little further.

The nation as a whole,

and right down to
the very individual,

has forever sought out
what new frontier lies

just over that next hill,

or what is waiting
to be discovered

just beyond our sight lines.

We came west across an
ocean to make a new home,

where we could
live our lives free

from religious persecution.

And then we pushed further,

till we were met with the
Appalachian Mountains.

With the purchase of
the Louisiana Territory,

from the French,

our nation doubled
in size overnight.

And with the return of a
small band of explorers

called the Corps of Discovery,

the hearts of the
American people

were slowly set aflame
with the possibilities

that this vast new tract of land

offered to them
and to the nation.

We have always moved west,

forever on towards
the setting sun.

The early settlers'
spirits had been embued

with a certain wanderlust

since the very moment they
set foot on the natives' land.

Americans have not always
treaded softly or respectfully

toward those who
came before them,

and their relationship
with the land

has been one containing
both reverence

and the desire to tame
it at almost any cost.

Those two simple words,

the West,

have come to symbolize
progress itself.

Americans have
packed up their lives

and set off into the wilderness
for a multitude of reasons.

They've left their homes

for the promise of greater
freedom and adventure,

for a chance at hope,
rebirth, and love.

And even for gold.

In the beginnings
of the 19th century,

the United States of America
is still a young country,

just a generation removed
(muskets popping)

from the fire, loss and triumph

of the Revolutionary
War against the British.

This bright young nation
finds itself in a position

to gain new territories through
a land purchase from France.

In December of 1803,

France transfers its authority
over the Louisiana Territory,

which more than doubles the
size of the United States,

overnight.

President Thomas Jefferson

purchased the
828,000 square miles

of land west of the
mighty Mississippi

for less than a mere 5¢ an acre,

a bargain for such
rich and fertile,

yet unexplored lands.

(sweeping, dramatic music)

The territory stretches
from New Orleans

all the way up into Canada,

and west to the Rocky Mountains.

This historic deal sparks a
heated debate within the U.S.

as to the constitutionality
of the purchase,

a political move,

which even Jefferson
questions within himself.

But, in the end,

he rationalizes the
purchase as such:

- [Voiceover] "It is the case
is the case of a guardian

"investing the money of his ward

"in purchasing an important
adjacent territory,

"and saying to him, when of age,

"I did this for your own good."

Thomas Jefferson.

- [Voiceover] Six months after

the Louisiana
Purchase is completed,

a group of explorers who
would soon come to be known

as the Corps of Discovery

will leave Missouri on a
mission from Thomas Jefferson

to obtain as much
knowledge as they can

about this newly
acquired tract of land.

President Jefferson
wants to establish

a United States Presence in
the newly acquired territory

before Britain and
other European powers

can attempt to lay
their own claim to it.

The secondary motives for
the group's expedition

are scientific and
economic in nature.

The small band of explorers

are in search of a
Northwest water passage.

If discovered,

this passage could open up

many trade opportunities
with Eastern Europe,

and keep the growing nation
moving ever westward.

President Jefferson
recruits Meriwether Lewis,

who was serving as the
President's personal secretary,

to lead the expedition.

Lewis gladly
accepts the mission,

and receives much training

by some of the greatest
minds in the country

in such practices as
medicine, botany, zoology,

and navigation by
celestial observations.

- [Voiceover] "On the
acquisition of Louisiana

"in the year 1803,

"the attention of the
government of the United States

"was early directed
towards exploring

"and improving the
new territory."

Meriwether Lewis.

- [Voiceover] Lewis
writes to his friend,

a former army colleague,
William Clark,

and he invites him to join
the expedition as co-captain.

Clark responds to
Lewis's request.

- [Voiceover] "This
is an undertaking

"fraught with many difficulties,

"but my friend,

"I do assure you
that no man lives

"with whom I would prefer
to undertake such a trip."

William Clark.

- [Voiceover] With the
combined talents of these men,

the wheels are set in motion
for what becomes quite possibly

the greatest peaceful
exploration expedition

in American history.

The Corps of Discovery,

led by Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark,

along with 31 others,

succeed in their mission,

which takes them over
two years to complete.

They succeed in so much

as the party does reach
the Pacific Ocean,

and in doing so,

they create that much-coveted
presence for United States

in these newly acquired lands.

Along their journey,

the Corp of Discovery creates

over 120 maps of
the area crossed,

and returns with catalogs
of hundreds of botanical,

insect and animal specimens,

which are new to
American science.

The band of explorers
do not, however,

find a clear-cut water
passage to the Pacific Ocean.

The elusive Northwest
Passage did not exist.

The group encounters many
native tribes and peoples,

with whom they establish
good trade relationships

and an overall
sense of good will.

Thomas Jefferson's desire

to establish the much
sought-after U.S. Sovereignty

over dozens of native
tribes along the way

is accomplished.

Before the group's departure,

President Jefferson give
the group peace medals,

which have his image on them,

in addition to a
message of friendship.

These are given to
perceived tribal leaders

as a show of good
faith and non-violence.

- [Voiceover] "The first
white men of your people

"who came to our country

"were named Lewis and Clark.

"They brought many things which
our people had never seen.

"They talked straight,

"and our people gave
them a great feast,

"as proof that our
hearts were friendly."

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.

- [Voiceover] Along
their journey,

Lewis and Clark meet a young
Shishone woman named Sacagawea,

and her French Canadian
husband, Toussaint Charbonneau.

The two accompany Lewis
and Clark on their mission,

and soon after
joining the group,

Sacagawea give birth to her
son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

Sacagawea proves to
be a valuable asset

to the Corp of Discovery,

by affirming to
the native peoples

that the group was one of peace.

It would have been unheard of

to have a woman in a war party,

let alone one with
a small child,

and this settled the minds

of many whom the
group encountered.

- [Voiceover] "A woman
with a party of men

"is a token of peace."

William Clark.

- [Voiceover]
President Jefferson

sees the mission as a success,

and information it provides
is a seed that is planted deep

in the subconsciousness
of the American people.

America has set its sights West,

and the Corps of Discovery
are among the first of many

who will see the
grandeur and promise

that the newly acquired and
untamed lands have to offer.

As the trade with Europe
continues across the Atlantic,

American merchant
ships bound for France

begin facing consistent
assaults from the British Navy.

Because of Britain's ongoing
war with Napoleon's France,

these American ships become
entangled in British blockades.

In addition to these blockades,

American's vessels are
enduring the effects

of a practice
called impressment.

American ships are
continually being boarded

by British sailors.

These sailors say
that they are looking

for deserters from
the British Navy.

All too often,

they are taking off with
and imprisoning these men,

many of whom are not deserters,

but in fact are
American citizens.

This,

along with the
British restrictions

on U.S. trade with France,

brings the tensions in our
nation to a breaking point.

On June 1st, 1812,

President James
Madison asks Congress

for a Declaration of War.

He is the first President
to make such a request.

(sweeping, dramatic music)

President Madison knows
full well the risks

that come with this
bold declaration,

but he also realizes the
danger his nation faces

If he does not take action

against those who
show aggression.

Though this declaration
is unpopular

with many in New England,

because of the adverse
economic effects

that a war with the British
would have on the region,

President Madison
still gets his war.

He sees the issue of impressment
as just the beginning

of what could become a
second attempt by the British

to conquer the
people of America,

and keep them under their rule.

- [Voiceover] "Perhaps
it is universal truth,

"that the loss of
liberty at home

"is to be charged to
provisions against danger,

"real or pretended,
from abroad."

James Madison.

- [Voiceover] The war of 1812
(muskets popping)

carries on for 32 months,

causing over 20,000
American and British

casualties combined.

Though the war eventually
ends in a stalemate,

with the Treaty of Ghent,

signed December 24th, 1814.

Many of Great Britain's
motives for the war

quickly dissolve once they
defeat Napoleon's army

and there is no longer
a need to restrict

the U.S. trade with France.

The was is seen by some as a
second War for Independence,

and it brings about
an Era of Good Feeling

in a nation, on the whole.

It emboldens the young
nation's sense of sovereignty

and boosts the
esteem of the nation.

- [Voiceover] "The was
has renewed and reinstated

"the national
feelings and character

"which the Revolution had given,

"and which were daily lessened.

"The people are more American.

"They feel and act
more as a nation,

"and I hope the
permanency of the Union

"is thereby better secured.

Secretary of the Treasury,
Albert Gallantin.

(dramatic, sweeping music)

- [Voiceover] One particular
battle also bears the fruit

of what would one day
become our national anthem.

Francis Scott Key

pens the lyrics to the
Star Spangled Banner

while being held captive
on a British ship

as it attacks Fort
Henry in Baltimore.

When he awakes in the morning,

he's inspired by the sight

of the American flag's broad
stripes and bright stars,

still waving high above the fort

after a night of intense
bombardment by British warships.

The great expanses of
what would one day become

the Western United States

were filled with
countless creatures

whose pelts would fetch
more than a fair price

by those living back East
and across the Atlantic.

As is so often the case,

money is the
catalyst and the fuel

which blazes new
trails into the unkown

and entices men to take risks

they might not have
otherwise taken.

John Jacob Astor is
one of those men.

From humble beginnings in his
music shop in New York City,

which he started with
his wife, Sarah Todd,

and her modest $300 dowry,

he eventually becomes one of
the richest men in America.

His Pacific Fur Company
affects the course of history

with its bold
movements westward.

Fort Astoria, in what
would later become Oregon,

is a prime example of the
Americans' innate belief

in Manifest Destiny,

and the country's ever-present
desire to reach out farther,

take possession,

and tame their surroundings.

Robert Stewart, a
partner of John Astor,

is stationed at Fort Astoria.

Stewart leaves the
confines of the fort,

bound east for St. Louis.

His journey leads him
along the Columbia River,

and then the Snake River,

in a southeasterly direction.

Stewart meticulously maps
the details of his journey

and collects a
wealth of knowledge

about the environment
around him,

much in the same way
Lewis and Clark did,

ten years earlier with
the Corps of Discovery.

Without realizing the gravity

of what his journey
will come to mean,

Stewart has completed,
in reverse direction,

the path that would
soon become known

as the Oregon Trail.

He presents his meticulously
kept journal of the trip

to Astor and President
James Madison,

and it is published in France.

But it is years before the path

is widely used by the masses.

Slowly,

the word of the untamed lands
and all the promise they held

would leak out to the
general population back East,

and these weather-worn
mountain men

would soon give way
to families, farmers,

and those seeking new
hope and new lands.

- [Voiceover] "How
long the trail,

"how far the goal?

"Last year the moons
might come and go

"like dancing
shadows on the snow.

"My heart was light,

"my heart was strong.

"I cared not, though
the way be long."

A song of the Oregon
Trail, by Helen Hay Whitney

(sweeping, dramatic music)

- [Voiceover] Roughly
22 hundred miles long,

the Oregon Trail
is the iconic path

that hundreds of thousands
of Americans would traverse

on their journey Westward,

into the fertile
valleys of Oregon.

Just mention of the trail
illicites, to this day,

pastoral images of covered
wagons driven by teams of oxen

crossing the great
American Plains.

The fur trappers and traders
(soft conversations)

that cut the path
from 1811 to 1840

would now yield to
wagon trains of farmers,

bankers, businessmen and miners,

many of whom would bring
along their families

for this great
American migration.

Since the Lewis and
Clark expedition,

the temperature of the
nation's Oregon fever

had been slowly rising,

thanks to propaganda
from those brave few

who had made the trip already.

To travel Westward
along the Oregon Trail

is a journey born from
independent minds and hearts,

and the trip begins,
fittingly enough,

in a small Missouri town

by the name of Independence.

Independence, up until now,

had been the farthest
point westward

along the Mississippi River,

where a steamboat
could safely travel.

It becomes the
jumping-off point for many

who choose to undertake
the long journey ahead.

1841 sees the first
small group of pioneers,

numbering no more
than 70 persons,

strike out from Independence

along the Oregon Trail.

Their goals were to
set out and reach

the lush agricultural
regions and farm the land.

By 1843,

the number balloons
to over 1,000.

It becomes known as
the Great Migration,

and word begins to spread.

They pilgrimage west
would take the travelers

roughly four months,

which was eight months shorter

than the quickest route by sea,

thus making the land journey

a much more appealing option
to the average citizen

who wished to change
their current situation.

Each Spring,

pioneers flood into the town
of Independence, Missouri.

During their sojourn,

they seek out friends and family

and make any last
minute purchases

of necessary gear and supplies

that they will need to take
with them for the trip ahead.

This influx of temporary
citizens does not go unnoticed

by the merchants and
shopkeepers of Independence.

With every Spring, there's
a boom in business.

That businessmen and
shopkeepers capitalized

on those who are Westward bound

is a theme that runs throughout
the American expansion.

There will always be those
who seek out an adventure,

and there will always be
those there to supply them

with the tools they
require along the way.

Those Westward bound pioneers

who set out from Independence
Missouri too early

soon would discover
that not enough grass

had grown along the plains

to feed their oxen
and other livestock.

Those who leave too
late in the season

face the harsh winters and
the closing of mountain passes

further west along the trail.

They're timing would
have to be just right

in order to make the journey
with the best weather possible.

Even with a departure
timed perfectly,

travelers still
faced tremendously violent summer storms

that would batter their wagons,

which were covered
with nothing more

than linseed oiled cotton cloth.

During such storms,

fatal lightning strikes
were not uncommon.

And overloaded covered
wagons could be pelted

with hail the size
of cannon shot.

All who traveled the Oregon
trail would bear witness

to the hazards that Mother
Nature set before them,

and those hazards
which they, themselves,

often needlessly created
while on their journey.

Many of the travelers fear
attacks from native Indians.

While this threat
is, in fact, present,

the pioneers were
much more likely

to fall victim to the
elements of nature

or their own ineptitude.

Accidental gunshots,
broken limbs, and disease

were common occurrences
along the trail.

The Oregon Trail would
continue to be used

by those who were
Westward bound until 1884,

when the Union Pacific
Railroad Company

laid tracks along the route.

(soft, sweeping music)

Perhaps the most
remembered and tragic group

of American pioneers

who faced the unforgiving
elements of the West

is the Donner-Reed Party.

The group sets out from
Independence Missouri

in the Spring of 1846,

at the tail end of that
year's batch of settlers.

The core of the group centers
around three families,

George and Jacob Donner,
and James F. Reed.

Several other families join
the wagon train along the way.

The news had spread of a
quicker way to the West.

Travelers were handed pamphlets,

and some had copies
of Lansford Hasting's

Emigrant's Guide to
Oregon and California.

Speaking of a cutoff
at Fort Bridger,

which claimed to
save many miles.

The cutoff leads travelers
south of the Great Salt Lake

and across the Salt Lake Desert.

The early stages of the journey
for the Donner-Reed Party

passed with little incident,

and the group reaches
Fort Laramie in late June,

fully intact and
generally in good spirits.

While there,

James Reed meets an old
friend from Illinois,

a mountain man
named James Clyman.

Clyman has just come East
using the Hastings Cutoff,

and he warns Reed not
to take the route,

telling him, "Take the
regular wagon track,

"and never leave it."

Despite the advice
of his good friend,

Reed chooses to stick
to his original plan,

and use the Hastings Cutoff.

It is this decision that
will steal away precious days

in the journey west,

which will ultimately
seal the fate

of those in the
Donner-Reed Party.

On the 17th of July, near
the Continental Divide,

the party encounters
a lone rider

who has a tattered letter
from Lansford Hastings

encouraging the emigrants
to press onwards

towards Fort Bridger.

All but 20 wagons heed the
warning of James Clyman.

The Reeds and the
Donners do not.

(soft conversations)

The Hasting's Cutoff claims
to shorten the travel distance

by 350 to 400 miles,

and be a much easier path,

but it will prove to
be nothing of the sort.

The Donner-Reed Party faces
barely passable trails

through the Wasatch Mountains,

harsh weather,

and the Great Salt Desert,

which cost them half their
livestock and many wagons

before Lansford
Hastings shortcut

would meet up with
the old trail.

The Great Salt Desert drives
their cattle mad with thirst,

and steals them away
into its vast emptiness,

where most of them
are never recovered.

The wagons get stuck in
the salt-crusted mire,

and the supposed two-day
journey across the desert

takes five grueling days
to complete, instead.

The party crosses the desert

and stops at the foot
of Pilot Peak to rest,

and to search for
its lost cattle.

It's five days until they are
fresh enough to set out again.

With some of their
strength reclaimed,

they're ready for the final push

through the Sierra
Nevada Mountains.

An inventory is taken,

resulting in the knowledge that
they do not have enough food

to make it to California.

Charles Stanton and
William McCutchen

are chosen to ride
ahead to Sutter's Fort

to request additional
provisions.

Just before reaching
the Truckee River,

which will guide them up to
the Sierra Nevada Mountains,

more hardship
strikes the travelers

when Piaute Indians kill
21 of the Donners' oxen.

A small glimmer of hope comes

in the form of the
returning Charles Stanton.

He brings seven mules worth
of much-needed provisions,

along with two Indian guides,

and promising word that the
pass through the Sierra Nevadas

should remain open
for yet another month.

The weather-worn group
starts up the river again,

and on October 31,

the front axle of George
Donner's wagon breaks.

While fashioning a new
one out of cut timber,

he gashes his hand,

and he and his family
fall further behind

the rest of the group.

- [Voiceover] "We
pushed on as fast

"as our failing cattle could
haul our almost empty wagons,

"and at last,

"we reached the foot of the
main ridge near Truckee Lake.

"It was sundown.

"The weather was clear,

"but a large circle
around the moon

"indicated an
approaching storm."

- [Voiceover] The party
rests for the night,

and waits for the
Donners to catch up,

but the family does not come.

During the night,

in the darkness and the ominous
silence of the foothills,

the weather breaks
and it begins to snow.

When the members of
the Donner Party awake,

they see how the
environment around them

has been transformed.

Feet of snow have fallen.

Their wagons can
find no purchase

upon the barely visible path.

They slip. They get stuck.

And their Indian guides
cannot find the road.

After thousands of miles
of troublesome paths,

and seven months
of arduous travel,

the Donner-Reed
Party's fate is sealed

as they fall short by one
day and only 150 miles

from Sutter's Fort
in California.

(soft piano)

The party will make camp
back at Truckee Lake,

and will then endure five months

of bitter isolation
in the mountains,

before relief is finally
able to reach them.

(quiet music)

When their provisions run out

just a few weeks into
their icy imprisonment,

the members of the party search

for the livestock that had
starved and were now frozen

and buried under
countless feet of snow.

When they cannot find them,

they eat the hides they used

as makeshift roofs and blankets.

(soft music)

After the hides were gone,

the gnawing hunger would
cause the desperate travelers

to turn towards grimmer
options in order to survive.

(soft, sad music)

Of the 87 souls who set out

from Independence Missouri
in the Spring of 1846,

only 48 survived.

Out of desperation,

the Donner-Reed
Party had to resort

to the cannibalization of
some of its fallen members.

Careful labeling measures were
taken of the fallen pioneers,

so people did not
consume their own kin.

The survivors of the party

are eventually extracted
by four relief groups

over the course of 55 days.

But the brutal winter's
damage had been done.

Some of the widows
quickly remarried,

and would refuse to ever
speak of the experience.

(soft, mournful music)

The tragic story of the
doomed Donner-Reed Party

remains one of the
most vivid tales

of this period of
American expansionism

into the West.

It serves as a cautionary tale

and an example of the deep
sacrifices made by those

in the name of promise, hope,

and Manifest Destiny.

Their plight would not soon
be forgotten by the country,

but in the coming years,

the idea of the West

would lure thousands to
make rushed decisions

when it came to the balance

of their own
personal well-being,

and those around them,

in exchange for a chance
at a richer, better life.

- [Voiceover] "Mexico has passed

"the boundary of
the United States,

"has invaded our territory,

"and shed American blood
upon American soil.

President James K. Polk.

The Mexican American War
begins to take its shape

when on April 25th, 1846,

Mexican Troops fire on
U.S. mounted soldiers

who were moving along
the northern bank

of the Rio Grande River.

President James K. Polk
considers the Rio Grande

to be the official
border between

the United States and Mexico.

But Mexico considers
the Nueces River,

which is 150 miles to the north,

to be the true border.

Eleven Americans are
killed in the skirmish,

and over 50 are taken prisoner.

When the news
reaches Washington,

President Polk
jumps at the chance

to ask congress for
a Declaration of War.

The President had been
jockeying his soldiers

into positions of provocation,

and now he had that spark
to set fire to the dispute

over the Rio Grande Border.

President James K. Polk had
been elected two years earlier,

on a platform of expansionism,

and he firmly believed in the
concept of Manifest Destiny.

President Polk feels that

it's part of God's plan
for the United States

to expand and
inhabit the continent

all the way to
the Pacific Ocean.

- [Voiceover] "Peace,
plenty, and contentment

"reign throughout our borders,

"and our beloved country

"presents a sublime moral
spectacle to the world."

James K. Polk.

(soft piano)

- [Voiceover] This moral
spectacle would fall suspect

to the coming actions of
the Polk administration.

The lands that he most desires
are all controlled by Mexico.

President Polk attempts
to bully Mexico

into negotiating the all-out
sale of these coveted lands

for the paltry sum
of $30,000,000.

These lands include most
of present-day California,

Nevada, Utah, Arizona
as well as New Mexico.

President Polk is
unprepared for the zeal

with which the Mexican
people resist his advances.

In February of 1845,

the U.S. annexes Texas,

which had been an
independent territory.

Upon doing so,

Mexico completely cuts
off its diplomatic ties

with the United States,

and the rift between
the two nations deepens

to a point beyond
visible repair.

President Polk sends Congressman
John Slidell to Mexico,

in the hopes that
he can urge Mexico

to sell their Northern
Territories for the $30,000,000,

as well as persuade them to
agree that the Rio Grande

is the true border
between the two nations.

If John Slidell were to
succeed in his mission,

this deal would result in Mexico
losing over half its land.

Mexican officials catch
wind of the details

of Congressman Slidell's true
purpose for being in the city,

and they send the envoy home
before talks can even begin.

(soft piano)

In response,

President Polk sends troops
into that disputed territory

between the Nueces
and Rio Grande Rivers.

In his mind,

he's doing no wrong

and simply moving men
into Southern Texas.

But, he knows all
too well by now,

the Mexicans consider this land
to be part of their nation.

Troops build a fort,

and after a month,
station there.

The tensions boil over,

and the U.S. provocation
works in forcing Mexico's hand

into action.

On April 25th, 1846,

the Mexican Cavalry attacks
the group of soldiers

stationed near the
Rio Grande River,

and they kill about a
dozen U.S. soldiers.

Under the command of
General Zachery Taylor,

and with the help of
reinforcements and superior firepower,

the U.S. soldiers
are able to prevail

at the battles of Palo Alto

and Resaca de la Palma.
(muskets popping)

Following these battles,

President Polk
tells the Congress,

- [Voiceover] "The cup of
forbearance has been exhausted

"even before Mexico
passed the boundary

"of the United States,

"invaded our territory
and shed American blood

"upon American soil."

- [Voicever] Just two days
later, Congress declares war.

The declaration
is pushed through,

despite harsh opposition

from some of the
northern lawmakers.

Mexico never officially
never declares war

upon the United States.

As the wheels of
war begin turning,

Mexico sees that
they are in a corner,

and they turn to
their old General,

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

He is living in exile in Cuba,

and convinces President Polk

that if he is allowed
to return to Mexico,

he could end the war swiftly

and on terms that the United
States would see as favorable.

Polk agrees to allow his return,

and the moment he sets
foot on Mexican soil,

he betrays the President

and takes control
of the Mexican Army,

and leads it into battle.

Santa Anna's army
suffers heavy losses

at the Battle of Buena Vista,

and they are forced to withdraw.

Despite the setback,

he takes up the Mexican
Presidency the following month.

The United States eventually
overtakes Mexico City.

General Santa Anna resigns,

and the United
States forces Mexico

to sign the Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo

on February 2nd, 1848,

which details the sale of
Mexico's Northern Territories

to the U.S. for half of its
original offer of $30,000,000,

plus certain damage claims.

The territories
surrendered in the treaty

include present-day
California, Nevada,

Utah, New Mexico,

as well as most of
Arizona and Colorado,

along with parts
of Texas, Oklahoma,

Wyoming and Kansas.

This shrinks Mexico
by almost half.

Mexico also loses
Texas permanently,

and is forced to recognize
the Rio Grande River,

not the Nueces,

as the true border between
Mexico and the United States.

(soft wistful music)

The Mexican American
War lasts roughly

two years.
(muskets popping)

The fighting drags on longer
than President Polk expects.

The expense is, as well as
the loss of American life,

is greatly criticized
in Washington.

But President Polk achieves
what he sought out to do,

but at a much higher
cost to the United States

than he originally intended.

The conflict is seen as one of
conquest by some in the U.S.,

including anti-imperialists,

anti-slavery people,

and the Whig Party.

The war is a defining
moment in time

for both Mexico and
the United States.

While the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo

is signed on February 2nd,

just a mere nine days earlier,

in the waters of the
American River in California,

a man by the name
of James W. Marshall

finds a few pieces
of gold near the mill

he has been contracted to build
and run for Mr. John Sutter.

(dreamy music)

This small and completely
accidental discovery

would soon fundamentally alter
the course of our nation.

Within two years,

California would become a state,

as well as a magnet,

to tens of thousands of
Americans and Foreigners alike,

all of whom seek
success and riches

in these mountains and rivers

of this newly
acquired territory.

Two small nuggets of
gold become the catalyst

for the largest migration in
the history of our nation.

John Augustus Sutter,

born Johann August Sutter,

is a Swiss-born pioneer

who leaves his wife
and five children

and comes to America to escape
his personal debts back home.

Like many who came to America,

the country lent them the
opportunity to start over,

a new life on new soil.

Sutter eventually settles
himself in California,

which at this time is
still a provence of Mexico.

So he ventures to the
capital at Monterey,

to ask permission from
the Governor, Juan Bautista Alvarado,

in order to settle.

To be able to qualify
for land ownership,

Sutter becomes a Mexican
Citizen on August 29th, 1840.

He soon thereafter
receives title

to 48,827 acres of land

on the Sacramento River.

He names his new
settlement New Helvetia,

New Switzerland.

With the help of
the Maidu Indians,

Sutter builds the
fort that, one day,

the doomed Donner Party
would reach out to for aid.

His sights are set on
building his New Switzerland

and creating an
agricultural empire.

James W. Marshall is a New
Jersey-born farmer and carpenter

who, much like John Sutter,

finds himself kicking around
the Middle West of the nation,

seeking to find a way
to establish himself.

After droughts foiled
his attempts at farming,

and falling ill with malaria,

Marshall joins a wagon
train that's headed west,

destined for Oregon's
Willamette Valley.

Marshall makes his way
down into California,

where he reaches Sutter's Fort.

John Sutter places
him under his employ,

and Marshall finds his financial
fortunes on the upswing.

He once again becomes a farmer.

Soon after, though,

the conflict and
tensions between Mexico and the U.S. begin,

and John Marshall joins

Captain John C. Fremont's
California Battalion,

in the short-lived
Bear Flag Revolt.

He returns home to his ranch

and finds that his cattle
have either strayed

or have been stolen.

With no source of income,
he loses his land.

Marshall soon enters into
partnership with John Sutter.

to build and operate a
sawmill in Coloma, California

on the American River,

just 40 miles upstream
of Sutter's Fort.

While under construction,

in January 1848,

it's discovered that the
ditch which drains the water

away from the water wheel is
much too narrow and shallow

to handle the amount
of water that is needed

to keep the saw operational.

Marshall opts to use the
river's natural force

to do the excavating for him,

in order to enlarge
the tailrace.

There was no other choice

than to take this action
over the course of the night,

because if done
during the workday,

the process could endanger
the lives of his men

working on the mill.

On the morning of January 24th,

Marshall goes out to
examine the progress

of the channel below the mill.

As he his surveying
the developments from the night before,

he notices a few
flecks in the water,

catching the light of the
sun and shining back at him.

(dreamy music)

James Marshall's primary
focus and responsibility

would remain to be the
completion of the saw mill,

so he sees no harm in
his permitting his crew

to search for gold
in their free time.

Perhaps this is why it
takes four whole days

before he travels
to Sutter's Fort

to show his findings to
his partner, John Sutter.

There, the two men
examine the gold further,

and even reference
an encyclopedia

to make sure of its properties.

They agree to keep
the discovery quiet,

but little do they know
that it's already too late.

A young journalist by the
name of Samuel Brannan,

who owns a general store,

has employees of John Sutter
purchase goods from him,

and these men pay
with gold flecks

that they have taken from the
American in their spare time.

This encounter ignites

Brannan's curiosity,
(soft conversation)

and he travels to the mill

as a representative
of L.D.S. church,

where receives tithes of gold

from the L.D.S. workers.

Soon, the news that there
is gold being harvested

from the American River

will spread far and wide

faster than the metal can
be pulled from the ground.

Samuel Brannan takes his
newly acquired information

and wastes little time in
molding it into a means

by which he can turn a profit.

His general store
will soon be selling

picks, pans and shovels

to any and all who
crossed his threshold

with the glints of gold
swirling in their eyes.

The events that take
place in the coming years

give rise to perhaps one of
the greatest human migrations

in modern times.

The world is in love, obsessed,

enchanted by the
promise of gold.

Never before,

in the years that follow,

has the world been mobilized
and drawn to one place

with such speed, zeal
and recklessness.

An accidental discovery
in the American River

will end up seducing
the entire world.

(slow, dramatic music)

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