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How Denim Told the Story of The Gold Rush
In our two-piece article on how items of clothing represent paradise, the first one we covered was the Hawaiian shirt. Now, we turn to perhaps the most iconic American fabric: denim. If the Hawaiian shirt is a symbol of cultural convergence and imperialism, jeans are the embodiment of the American Dream - hard work and resilience. As much as jeans represent freedom, rugged individualism, and the promise of prosperity, they also tell a story of exclusion and exploitation, revealing that the American dream requires hard work. We will talk about how how Denim told the story of The Gold Rush.
This piece and the exploration of how denim became one of Americas most famous fabrics started with the California Gold Rush. The Gold Rush was ignited by the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill on January 24, 1848. This event, confirmed by President Polk in his State of the Union address in December of that year, spurred a massive influx of fortune-seekers to the West. By 1852, California’s population had exploded, tripling in just over a decade. Among those drawn by the promise of gold were thousands of Chinese immigrants, who arrived seeking opportunity but were met with hostility and violence instead.
Chinese laborers were integral to the development of the American West. They worked not only in the gold mines but also in agriculture, factories, and the monumental task of building the railroads that connected the nation. As their numbers grew, so did anti-Chinese sentiment. The Foreign Miners License Law of 1850, which imposed a crippling $20 monthly tax on non-U.S. citizens, was a direct attempt to exclude them from the gold fields. Although the law was repealed the following year, the message was clear: Chinese immigrants were not welcome.
The 1870s saw a resurgence of anti-Chinese rhetoric, particularly in California, where Denis Kearney’s Workingman’s Party led a campaign to expel Chinese immigrants. The hostility culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred further immigration and marked one of the darkest chapters in American history.
While Chinese laborers faced systemic oppression, American entrepreneurs capitalized on the opportunities that the Gold Rush presented. Among these was Levi Strauss, a German immigrant who, in 1853, began producing sturdy denim work pants for miners. Strauss’s jeans, reinforced with copper rivets, became the go-to garment for laborers, symbolizing durability, resilience, and the pursuit of wealth. Denim became a symbol of success for those who could afford it, a stark contrast to the experiences of Chinese workers who were often denied the fruits of their labour.
However, the narrative around jeans rarely acknowledges the Chinese immigrants who contributed to the American economy or the Native Americans who suffered devastating losses during this period. An estimated 120,000 Native Americans in California died due to diseases, violence, and displacement during the Gold Rush—a grim reminder that the American Dream was built on the backs of many who were left out of it.
The exclusion of Chinese immigrants has also lasted in history. Take the example of Ah Bing, the horticulturist responsible for the most produced sweet cherry in the U.S., the Bing cherry. Despite his contributions to American agriculture, Ah Bing was forced to leave the country due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, an example of how the legacies of Chinese immigrants were erased from the narrative of American success.
As we honour the entrepreneurs who thrived during the Gold Rush, we must also acknowledge those who were silenced and marginalised. The history of jeans is not just a story of American innovation and entrepreneurship; it’s also a story of exclusion, where the successes of some came at the expense of others. The American Dream, remains a contradictory ideal, one that we idealise but has upended lives.
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