Does the song suggest that it was difficult to find gold in california? explain.

Yes

Explanation:

First of all, the men are poor and trying to support their family. Then it says "On every lofty mountain, on every sunny plain". They had to dig and dig for gold. But if we go off the song lyrics, we know that most gold was fool's gold.

Hope this helps

they became hereditary because there weren't many jobs for people in lower classes

the poor lived on the docks by the sea, and the wealthy lived in highly populated urban areas. that is the answer