We are not a law firm, and this site and our software are not a substitute for the advice of a lawyer and do not contain or constitute legal advice. Not Sure?How Do I? How did Chinese immigrants impact the development of the Transcontinental Railroad, and what conditions and challenges did they endure while working? Who but Americans could dig tunnels through the solid granite of the Sierras? "The long-awaited The Chinese and the Iron Road makes visible the previously invisible Chinese railroad workers who built America's first transcontinental railroad. According to American law, Chinese immigrants were not considered citizens. Max Chang is one of the organizers of this year's events. More than 40,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in California during the 1850s. 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Chinese immigrants helped build America’s first transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, but their contribution has been largely forgotten. They proved themselves to be efficient laborers, and the generally balanced diets they followed made them healthier than their Irish coworkers. Chinese workers in the snow constructing the first transcontinental railroad. Accuracy and availability may vary. From the 1860s to the 1880s, thousands of Chinese immigrants found work in railroad construction in the West, notably on the Central Pacific line of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was built primarily by … More than 40,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in California during the 1850s. It’s been 150 years since two railroads were joined together to form the first Transcontinental Railroad. The content on this site should not be relied on to reach conclusions about any person's specific situation. The completion of the transcontinental railroad is one of America’s defining moments. This week marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, the first continuous railroad line from California to the East Coast. Chinese laborers were the backbone of the Transcontinental Railroad’s creation, and worked diligently in other difficult industrial jobs for low wages. for Central Pacific were Chinese immigrants by the time the railroad was finished. Central Pacific's part of the project included the Sierra Nevada mountains, which rose to elevations It was the Chinese laborers who did it. While they had dreams of finding gold, many instead found employment building the first transcontinental railroad (Figure 17.15). The Chinese-American population expanded vastly during the production of the railroad; between 10 and 15 thousand Chinese-American workers were employed by Central Pacific during the peak of … It’s been 150 years since two railroads were joined together to form the first Transcontinental Railroad. Immigrants from China came to build a railroad, but they stayed to help build America. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any other government agency. From the 1860s to the 1880s, thousands of Chinese immigrants found work in railroad construction in the West, notably on the Central Pacific line of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was built primarily by Chinese. In the celebratory photograph taken after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, two mighty locomotives from East and West meet at Promontory Summit, Utah. During this period, they faced intense racial discrimination both socially and politically. When they failed to achieve this dream an… Within two years, 12,000 of the Central Pacific railroad's 13,500 employees were Chinese immigrants. Your access to and use of this site, including any purchase, is subject to and constitutes your agreement to the website Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Rocio Hernandez from member station KUER reports that the story of the Chinese has been largely in the shadows until now. I asked Dr. Manu Karuka, American Studies scholar and author of Empire’s Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers, and the Transcontinental Railroad, about the impact of the railroad on Indigenous peoples and nations. Utah State University . When work on the Transcontinental Railroad began, neither Union Pacific nor Central Pacific wanted to hire these immigrants. By 1852, over 25,000 Chinese immigrants had arrived, and by 1880, over 300,000 Chinese lived in the United States, most in California. Without the hard work and sacrifice of both Chinese and Irish immigrants the historic completion of the transcontinental railroad would not have been possible. Chinese laborers. By the time of its completion and opening on May 10, 1869, 90 percent of the workers who built the railroad were Chinese immigrants. The Civil Of Chinese Immigrants On The Transcontinental Railroad 1964 Words 8 Pages Migrating to America in search of new opportunities, sadly, the Chinese were referred to as Chinks and coolies. At a ceremony in Utah, Chinese railroad workers were … In 1882, the federal government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned new Chinese Most came from southern China and hoped to escape the poverty and Like thousands of native-born Americans and immigrants from other parts of the world, they hoped to Click Here to read about Chinese Immigration for Railway Labor. But the monumental feat might not have been possible without the manpower of Chinese immigrants. Others returned to China. By the time the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Utah in 1869, Central Pacific had recruited thousands of additional workers directly Courtesy of Library of Congress. In June of 1867, Chinese workers constructing the transcontinental railroad returned to their tents and refused to work until their wages were raised to a white man’s wage of $40 a month, workdays were shortened to 10 hours, and working conditions improved. California laws prevented them from being admitted as witnesses in court, voting, and becoming naturalized citizens. meanwhile, Chinese laborers received lower wages and were expected to find their own food and tents. their way there. Many settled down and raised families in California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Texas, or British Columbia, Canada. workers from entering the United States and prevented Chinese immigrants who were already in the U.S. from becoming citizens. These workers were willing to lay tracks in dangerous areas for extremely low pay and were also viewed as peaceful and submissive. By mid-1862, the United States … 150 years after the completion of the tracks, that’s finally changing. WORKS CITED. the Irish workers it had managed to hire were requesting higher wages. These immigrants faced particularly poor working conditions and Utahans are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Transcontinental railroad and chinese immigrants. >>Requirements & FAQ's >>. This website is run by a private company. In the 1860s, it was the Chinese Americans who built the Transcontinental Railroad. fierce discrimination, but their efforts were crucial to the construction of the railroad and to the full development of the West. It was a moment that boosters believed brought the country together both literally and figuratively after the Civil War. The history of Chinese Americans or the history of ethnic Chinese in the United States includes three major waves of Chinese immigration to the United States, beginning in the 19th century. HERNANDEZ: And judging from the excitement of the Chinese community members and a visiting Chinese delegation, they succeeded. That’s something worth celebrating, too. This law remained in In the mid-nineteenth century, large numbers of Chinese men immigrated to the United States in search of better futures for themselves and the families they left behind. Chinese Immigration and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. The completion of the Railroad was transformative, shortening travel time between New York and San … And so they didn't really record the names of those who died and didn't even bother to collect their bodies or search for them. They didn’t have cars and plains, so they used trains. W hen one thinks of the transcontinental railroad, rarely do Chinese migrants come to mind. Despite their hard work, the Chinese experienced discrimination for generations after the Railroad tracks from the East Coast and the West Coast met for the first time in 1869 in northern Utah. Quiz results do not guarantee eligibility or ineligibility as you may or may not be eligible based on reasons not addressed in the quizzes. recruit railroad workers and keep them on the job. Tunnelling with Explosives. HERNANDEZ: The event is significantly different from the one 50 years ago, when Chinese contributions were almost entirely ignored. Chinese workers often had to live in the colleagues did not have to face. By the 1870s, there was widespread economic depression in America and jobs became scarce. ELAINE CHAO: Today, we pay tribute to the estimated 12,000 or more Chinese laborers and all the laborers who risked so much to make this great dream a reality. The Transcontinental Railroad at 150: The Contributions of Chinese Immigrants and Chinese Americans. We do not make form recommendations or recommend or provide answers to specific questions on forms, and communications between you and us are not protected by any privilege. Hundreds died from explosions, landslides, accidents and disease. They are given names, family lives, homes, spiritual beliefs, and agency. “150 Years Ago, Chinese Railroad Workers Staged the Era’s Largest Labor Strike.” HERNANDEZ: At one point, the Chinese made up about 90% of the Central Pacific Railroad's workforce. Customer support is for technical and billing issues only and will not answer legal questions. Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers. The role that Chinese immigrants played in building the Transcontinental Railroad has long been buried. Exceptions and restrictions may apply; see Refund Policy for details. To commemorate the contributions of these early Chinese immigrants and the struggles they faced, NAE used data from the 2017 American Community Survey to examine how far Chinese Americans have come. Copyright © 2003-2020. In order to reach California, settlers needed to either travel But Kwan says all that didn't get them much respect from their bosses. Utahans are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. In turn, the West would have remained difficult to settle The route from West to East carved out by the Central Pacific required … Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: immigration. Betty Lee, Sung. Early Chinese Immigration to the US The advent of the railroad brought about many changes to the United States, including an early wave of Chinese immigration to America. She's a Chinese American. When they failed to achieve this dream and the scramble for gold had ended, many of these Chinese immigrants “Mountain of Gold; the Story of the Chinese in America : Sung, Betty Lee : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” By the mid 1860s, however, the leaders of Central Pacific had realized that it was difficult to More than a century ago, Chinese immigrants were brought into the U.S. and then to Wyoming to work on the Transcontinental Railroad. completion of the railroad. Chinese immigrants who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. of over 14,000 feet and were very treacherous. Railroads were well-established in the eastern part of the country by the mid-nineteenth century, but had not yet become an option for reaching its Chinese labor was integral to the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which linked the railway network of the Eastern United States with California on the Pacific coast. In the 1860s, it was the Chinese Americans who built the Transcontinental Railroad. social unrest that characterized their homeland. Both of these options were dangerous and time-consuming; in fact, a trip from the East Coast to California could take more than a year to complete. HERNANDEZ: Not so at this year's celebration - one of the speakers was the current secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao. A Native American man looking at the Central Pacific Railroad, about 1869. Though up to 20,000 Chinese immigrants had built the railroad, they were treated with contempt at the time, reflecting racist attitudes and socially sanctioned discrimination. That started a labor strike, one of the largest in America history up to that point. There had always been a great deal of prejudice towards the Chinese-Americans but after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, it only became worse. Chinese schoolchildren were also subject to segregation. However, often overlooked in the story of the railroad’s construction is the role of Chinese laborers, who worked under brutal and often dangerous conditions to complete it. [1] “Transcontinental Railroad.” [2] “Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts.” [3] “Transcontinental Railroad.” [4] “Cultural Impact of Building the Transcontinental Railroad.” [5] Fuchs. The Chinese were subject to suspicion and racial slurs from other workers. All rights reserved. Read more about Dr. Chang’s new book, “Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad.” 广告 Dr. Chang noted that for many descendants of railroad workers, the 150th anniversary events marked the culmination of a lifelong effort to recover the history of their families and communities. Chinese laborers were the backbone of the Transcontinental Railroad’s creation, and worked diligently in … They were also subject to certain company policies that their non-Chinese The nation’s first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago today at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age… By the 1870s, there was widespread economic depression in America and jobs became scarce. 2 pages, 884 words. In addition, These laws culminated in the congressional passage … Starting in 1867, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company carried out transpacific steamship service and caused increased immigration of the Chinese and played a large role in the growth of San Francisco. On April 28, 1869, a couple weeks before the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a legion of Chinese workers and eight Irishmen laid a record length of track. 150 years after the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, a local Chicago Museum highlights Chinese workers' contributions. Date: May 7, 2019. more than a decade earlier, making the journey to the West was still no simple task. Some worked in the silver mines, while others worked as cooks and domestic servants in such cities as This project involved two companies, Union Pacific and Central Pacific, and would take six years to complete. America's first transcontinental railroad was completed with a golden spike 145 years ago. HERNANDEZ: After the railroad was done, the Chinese workers contributions were sometimes recognized and sometimes not. Thousands of Chinese workers helped build it, but … strike it rich during the Gold Rush. Before the trains, they had wagon trails, which were slow to use. 3 With pickaxes, hammers, and crowbars, workers chipped out railbeds. The work was grueling, performed almost entirely by hand. This site provides general information on some commonly encountered immigration matters only and was created to allow you to more simply navigate your completion of immigration paperwork using online software. California and there was already a relatively large Chinese population in the northern part of the state, the company decided to begin recruiting For example, Central Pacific offered higher pay to its white workers and provided them with meals and shelter; America's first transcontinental railroad was completed with a golden spike 145 years ago. Forgotten Workers: Chinese Migrants and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad” is on view from May 10, 2019, through spring 2020 at the National Museum of American History. Refunds will only be issued if requested within thirty (30) days and before completed application is printed. Like thousands of native-born Americans and immigrants from other parts of the world, they hoped to strike it rich during the Gold Rush. This year, multiple events and exhibits celebrate the Chinese workers' role in the historic feat, acknowledging that 600 miles of the most hazardous part of the Central Pacific route was mainly built by the thousands of the men brought in to fill a labor void. They are also honoring the hundreds and thousands of Chinese workers who actually completed the job. remained in California to perform other jobs. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad marked the beginning of a series of laws aimed at the Chinese. Copyright © 2019 NPR. 150 years after the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, a local Chicago Museum highlights Chinese workers' contributions. A group of their descendants is trying to change that. Chinese immigration to the United States continued at a steady rate until federal legislation barred Chinese workers in 1882. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Before the Chinese began working on the Transcontinental Railroad, they worked on smaller railroad projects, and in 1863, they completed the train tracks for the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad Company. Their portion of the line started in California, crossed into Nevada and met up with the Union Pacific Railroad line in Utah. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as blank forms with written instructions. But then the representative's time was inexplicably cut from the schedule. 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