Transcontinental Rail Road

In conclusion, Chinese immigrants came to America for gaining money and return to China. This is the main purpose for the most Chinese immigrants. Most of them worked at Railroad Company, so many laborers died after they began working. All

The Transcontinental Continental Railroad aided the settling of the west and closed the last of the remaining frontier, bringing newfound economic growth, such as mining farming and cattle ranching to our burgeoning country. On May 10, 1869, near Promontory Summit, Utah, a boisterous crowd gathered to witness the

The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett is a masterpiece written to describe the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. Widespread insecurity, callous English colonizers and the ghost of great famine still lingering on and on in their lives, made this ethnic group be convinced that home was longer a home anymore. They descended in United States of America in large numbers. James R. Barrett in his book notes that these people were the first group of immigrants to settle in America. According to him, there were a number of several ethnic groups that have arrived in America. It was, however, the mass exodus of Irish people during and after the great

On May 10, 1869 as the “Last Spike” struck by Leland Stanford now connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads across the United States at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. The transcontinental railroads now complete and America is now destined to move to the forefront of the world’s stage. This new railroad system encouraged the growth of American businesses and promoted the development of the nation’s public discourse and intellectual life.1 At the same time, this new railroad affected many people positively

The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most ambitious engineering projects, economic stimulants, and efficient methods of transportation in the early United States. If completed, the United States would be truly be united from east to west. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Transcontinental Railroad helped develop new opportunities for many aspects of American life.

When many think of the times of immigration, they tend to recall the Irish Immigration and with it comes the potato famine of the 1840s' however, they forget that immigrants from the Emerald Isle also poured into America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The assimilation and immigration of the Irish has been difficult for each group that has passed through the gates of Ellis Island or South Boston. Like every group that came to America, the Irish were looked down upon; yet, in the face of discrimination,

The transcontinental railroad was the most influential innovation of the United States, that brought a revolution of how people traveled. One year after the Civil War ended the people of the United States were looking for a way to unite their country back together. This helped mold the United States as to what it has become today. It helped people cross the country and improved how goods were transported. The man that was forming the transcontinental railroad was a merchant named Asa Whitney. He had asked the government for funding to construct one of the greatest innovation of the United States. “Two railroads, the Central Pacific starting in San Francisco and a new railroad, the Union Pacific, starting in Omaha, Nebraska, would build the rail-line.” (ushistory.org). One fear of building the railroad was the danger of the “Great American Desert” because of the lack of resources. The Central Pacific was primarily made by Chinese immigrants. The Union Pacific was primarily made up of Irish immigrants. By spring of 1866 the Central Pacific had only build 68 miles of track from Sacramento, while the Union Pacific going west from Omaha built 200 miles of track in less than a year. Therefore the Union Pacific made millions more. The next three years the railroads would continue to try and make history.

On May 10th, 1869, a large crowd gathered at Promontory Point, Utah to celebrate the completion of one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 1800’s: the Pacific Railroad. After six years of grueling work, millions of dollars spent, and many battles against Native Americans fought, sea to shining sea was finally connected by two ribbons of iron. The United States was transformed by the new railroad: Masses of immigrants flocked out to the newly connected territories in pursuit of better lives, towns cropped up over night along the route, and an agricultural empire was born as farming machinery was brought to the fertile western plains of the United States. The profoundly positive impact the railroad had on the United States came at a great cost, however. The more than 12,000 Chinese immigrant workers of the transcontinental railroad were treated poorly and unjustly throughout construction, and Native American empires in the plains laid in ruins from the white-American military and pioneers that induced conflict with indigenous people and the government that annexed their lands. These negative consequences of American progress force a question to be asked; did the socioeconomic benefits the Pacific Railroad brought to white American citizens justify the unequal respect and maltreatment given to the Chinese immigrant workers and the Native American tribes? This is the question this essay will answer, as it examines the role the Chinese workers had in

Railroads became extremely popular in America in the 1800’s. The railroad industry itself began to boom; it was supported by its reputation for speed and efficiency. But, along with the booming industry of railroads came the strong debate that

When many think of the times of immigration, they tend to recall the Irish Immigration and with it comes the potato famine of the 1840s' however, they forget that immigrants from the Emerald Isle also poured into America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The assimilation and immigration of the Irish has been difficult for each group that has passed through the gates of Ellis Island or South Boston. Like every group that came to America, the Irish were looked down upon; yet, in the face of discrimination, political, social and economic oppression, the Irish have been a testament to the American Dream as their influence in

The transcontinental railroad was built by two major companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. The Central Pacific company worked eastbound. They faced the treacherous terrain of the Rocky Mountains, landslides, and winter snowdrifts. Central Pacific would hire Chinese immigrants. These Chinese immigrants, “... made up 85 percent of the Central Pacific workforce.” (Holt McDougal,

Five thousand labourers were sent from China by ship during these contracts and over seven thousand were employed from California. Between 1881 and 1884 there were 17000 Chinese labourers working on Canadian Pacific Railway. Chinese workers got paid "$1.00 a day, and from this $1.00 the workers had to still pay for their food and their camping and cooking gear, [while] white workers did not have to pay for these things even though they were paid more money $1.50-$2.50 per day"(Library and Archives Canada). The Chinese workers had the most dangerous jobs from others, as they had to break off granite and planted explosives that were used to blow up tunnels. While working on the railway, many died due to accidents, fires and dynamite blasts. The Chinese workers lived in tents, but these tents were unsafe as they did not provide protection from falling rocks. When the Canadian Pacific Railway completed in 1885, the Chinese workers needed to find new jobs. Several workers went back to China, while some found a new job as gardeners, cooks and servants. The Chinese moved to east of Canada and settled there, opening restaurants and laundries. When the railway finished, the government passed The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 charging a

President Lincoln approved the grant that ‘subsidized a minimum of $16,000 for each mile of railroad laid as well as substantial land grants adjacent to the tracks’ to Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad’ (Harvard.edu.) Thousands of Chinese and Irish labors worked on completing these tracks. The Mormons also became part of the work force in their quest to bring people to Salt Lake City. Many of the Irish laborers paid the ultimate price as threaten Native American felt the construction of the tracks violated treaties granted by the Federal Government and resourced to war practices killing many of the workers (Harvard.edu.)

For Canada’s transcontinental railway (built by Canadian Pacific Railway from 1881-1884), Chinese immigrants replaced many white workers to do the most dangerous and grueling work. They were instructed to clear and grade the railway’s roadbed, blast tunnels through rock and often faced disasters with little, if any, medical care available. For such difficult work, the Chinese were paid only $1.00 a day (whereas white workers were paid $1.50-$2.50 a day) from which they had to pay for food and camping and cooking supplies. It was their keenness to work for low wages and willingness to do any work that created large incentive for railroad companies in both nations to hire Chinese over white workers. Both Canadian Pacific Railway and the United States’ Central Pacific Railroad (the company that constructed much of America’s transcontinental railway) praised Chinese employees for their work.

The Chinese began to immigrate overseas after many years of harsh living conditions in China. Some of these contributions were; the Opium wars (1839-42, 1856-60), the Taiping rebellion (1856-64), famine, and a sinking economy. These grave circumstances led to them flocking to faraway lands to seek work. One of the main draws of California for the Chinese was the opportunity for a better life through gold digging and fertile soil. The struggles for these travelers began early with the voyage, journeying on “coolie” ships in inhumane conditions caused the loss of many lives. Passengers were packed into steerage at the bottom of the boat, with poor ventilation and over-crowding sickness ran ramped. When these “celestials” as Americans called them, arrived in San Francisco or “Dabu- the first city” many found work as miners, farmhands, railroad builders, fishermen, or laundrymen.