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A. You're right! Even though Native Americans lived in California for
thousands of years before the Gold Rush, they were considered "foreigners."
When the Gold Rush began, Native American miners outnumbered other miners
two to one.
Some of them worked independently, while others worked as slaves for
their owners' profits. As gold became more scarce, the Native Americans
suffered tremendously. Their homes were destroyed and the wildlife and
plant habitats that they depended upon were severely damaged. Many Native
Americans were murdered, or forced onto reservations so that more land
could be settled by U.S. citizens.
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