A Global History of Gold Rushes

Associate Professor Benjamin Mountford (Australian Catholic University)

Associate Professor Stephen Tuffnell (University of Oxford)

Nothing set the world in motion like gold. Between 1848 and the turn of the twentieth century the global rush to find and extract the precious metal from the earth in previously unimaginable quantities inspired a dramatic burst of movement and energy, affecting the course of world history. In this talk, Associate Professors Mountford and Tuffnell reflect on the global history of the nineteenth century gold rushes and their role in shaping the world we live in today.

The siren call of gold in the hills of California sent tens of thousands rushing westward to make their fortunes, including the son of local painter, Charles Peck. Dr. Benjamin Mountford of Australian Catholic University and Dr. Stephen Tuffnell of Oxford University together authored A Global History of Gold rushes.

In their virtual talk they will discuss the history and far-reaching global impact of the 1849 California Gold rush. This program is presented in conjunction with the newest LHS exhibition highlighting Charles Peck’s experience moving westward which will be opening on July 27 at the Sheldon Peck Homestead.

Click the link below to join the program!

About the Presenters

Benjamin Mountford, Associate Professor in History at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, is the author of Britain, China, and Colonial Australia and coeditor of Fighting Words: Fifteen Books That Shaped the Postcolonial World. He was formerly a David Myers Research Fellow at La Trobe University (2017-18).

Stephen Tuffnell, Associate Professor of Modern US History at the University of Oxford, is currently completing Emigrant Foreign Relations: Independence and Interdependence in the Atlantic, c. 1789–1902. He researches US history from a global perspective.