First thing that comes to mind is maybe withdrawing too much money (overdraft fee).
With the Gold Rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government. In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850.
I think it is D: the spread of the Roman Catholic Church.