Final answer:
The California Gold Rush prompted gold seekers to push out Mexican landowners. The correct option is a.
Step-by-step explanation:
The California Gold Rush, which took place between 1848 and 1849, prompted gold seekers to push out Mexican landowners in the region. When prospectors discovered large strikes of gold in California, word spread quickly and people from all over rushed to the area in search of fortune.
This influx of people resulted in a cycle of boom and bust as gold was discovered, mined, and stripped in the region. The quest for gold fueled a wave of land disputes, with many Mexican landowners facing legal challenges, forced sales, or outright dispossession.
This influx of settlers, drawn by the promise of wealth, intensified conflicts over land rights, contributing to the socio-economic transformation of the region and underscoring the complex interplay between the Gold Rush and the displacement of Mexican landowners in California's history.
Therefore the correct option is a.