Which of the following best describes California’s population when it became a state in 1850?
A. Because the gold rush had attracted settlers from all over the world, California’s population was diverse.
B. California had banned foreign immigrants at the start of the gold rush. So, the state’s population was made up almost entirely of Americans from other parts of the country.
C. California had a large African population because many Southern planters had moved there with their enslaved Africans to start large farms.
D. The Indian Removal Act had led to the relocation of thousands of Eastern Native Americans to California. As a result, the majority of California’s population was Native American.
The correct answer is A. Because the gold rush had attracted settlers from all over the world, California’s population was diverse.
To arrive at this answer, we can break down the choices and eliminate the ones that are inaccurate.
Choice B states that California had banned foreign immigrants at the start of the gold rush, leading to a population made up almost entirely of Americans from other parts of the country. However, this is not true. California did not ban foreign immigrants during the gold rush. On the contrary, the gold rush attracted people from all over the world, including Chinese, Mexican, European, and other immigrants.
Choice C suggests that California had a large African population due to Southern planters moving there with enslaved Africans. While it is true that some people from the South did move to California during this time, primarily seeking opportunities in mining, the population of enslaved Africans was not significant compared to other groups. Additionally, California entered the Union as a free state, meaning that slavery was not widespread.
Choice D mentions the Indian Removal Act leading to the relocation of thousands of Eastern Native Americans to California. However, the Indian Removal Act primarily impacted Native American tribes in the Eastern United States, not those in California. California had its own native populations, but they were not the majority of the state's population at the time of statehood.
Therefore, the most accurate answer is A, as the gold rush attracted settlers from various parts of the world, resulting in a diverse population in California when it became a state in 1850.