The answer is thousands came seeking their fortunes.
It is estimated that over three hundred thousand people came in the period following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. The influx of people during this period of time became known at the 49's, since it took time for communication and travel to be arranged, but those people who did came in droves, scrambling to find their own plot of land to prospect. The name still popularly exists today and is represented in the NFL's team in San Francisco, the 49's (said forty-niners).
In 1782, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called on the king of England's speech. It is most likely included material to inspire the colonists to fight against the British. This pamphlet is called "The American Crisis."
