Text 1: Historian Park argues that the discovery of gold in California in 1848 was the catalyst for rapid statehood. Within two years, California's population had multiplied many times over, federal attention turned westward, and statehood was achieved in 1850 — a speed unmatched by other western territories.
Text 2: Historian Singh accepts the gold rush's role but argues that the political crisis over slavery in the territories was equally decisive. California's free-state status was an urgent question for a Congress trying to balance the Union; without that political pressure, even rapid population growth might not have translated into immediate statehood.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- Acheck_circle
the relative weight of population growth versus sectional politics in California's rapid statehood.
- B
whether gold was discovered in California in 1848.
- C
whether California achieved statehood.
- D
whether population grew during the gold rush.
Explanation
Both accept the gold discovery, statehood, and population growth. They differ on relative weights. B captures the dispute.