Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad

As many as fifteen thousand immigrants from China contributed to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the railroad line that connected the East and West of the United States in the 1860s. Many of these immigrants were young men escaping troubles in their homeland and seeking peace and prosperity in a new country. Constructing the railroad required backbreaking labor from all workers involved, but immigrant laborers typically received the hardest jobs and least rewards. Regardless, Chinese immigrant workers persevered, and those who chose to remain in the United States helped establish large Chinese American communities in California and other states in the West.

Background

Before the middle of the 1800s, China and the United States had relatively few interactions. Some limited trading between the countries took place, but the great span of the Pacific Ocean between them, as well as significant differences in their societies and cultures, kept them at a distance.

This situation changed quite abruptly around the middle of the nineteenth century. This was a tumultuous period in China, marked by many rebellions, territorial conflicts, and other eruptions of violence. In particular, an ongoing conflict that included the First Opium War (1839–1842) and Second Opium War (1856–1860) brought dangers and suffering to many Chinese people.

The bitter and bloody situation in much of China made many people desire a new and better life. Some looked eastward, across the Pacific Ocean, to the United States, which seemed to hold prospects of peace and prosperity.

The mid-1800s was also a time of great change in the United States. In 1848, miners in California discovered previously unknown quantities of gold. This news spread nationally and then internationally, sparking the Gold Rush that drew tens of thousands of hopeful prospectors into the American West.

News of the Gold Rush traveled across the ocean and inspired many people in China to make a journey to America. More than twenty thousand Chinese people immigrated to the United States within four years of the beginning of the Gold Rush. Most made their new homes in California or nearby states. There, many joined the rush to discover gold. However, most of them, as with the native-born American miners, were left disappointed by the difficult work and underwhelming results.

Despite this, thousands of Chinese immigrants chose to stay in their new land, starting businesses and establishing communities. These first waves of immigrants often experienced poor treatment by native-born Americans, who saw them as unwelcome outsiders. Some legislators promoted laws that made life even more challenging for the new Chinese Americans. Some rules restricted their ability to seek citizenship, while others demanded that foreign-born miners pay special fees or shopkeepers to purchase special licenses.

Overview

Through the 1850s, the allure of the Gold Rush faded, and many former miners, including those from China, sought other ways of making a living. A new opportunity appeared in 1862. At that time, the US government publicized a plan to establish a railroad line that was about 1,800 miles in length and would connect the western and eastern parts of the country. This news spread, causing another wave of immigration, mainly young men from the Guangdong province of southern China who sought work in America.

Although the United States was engaged in the Civil War (1861–1865) at that time, leaders believed the Transcontinental Railroad would strengthen the nation and allow for easier expansion after the war. The railroad project would require thousands of workers for two major companies: the Central Pacific in the West and the Union Pacific in the East. The companies planned to build toward each other and meet near the middle.

With many native-born Americans engaged in the war or unwilling to work for low wages, much of the backbreaking labor involved fell to Chinese and Irish immigrants. Both groups were widely seen as outsiders and were often given particularly difficult and dangerous tasks and less respect than native-born workers. After a labor shortage in 1864, immigrant labor became essential for the project to succeed.

In the western branch of the effort, up to fifteen thousand Chinese American laborers performed as much as 90 percent of the construction. Their task involved the creation of about 700 miles of railroad tracks stretching from Sacramento, California, to Promontory, Utah. The laborers had to perform backbreaking tasks such as carrying steel rails, setting wooden ties, and hammering them together with heavy spikes.

Crossing the 700-mile span involved working in the perilous Sierra Nevada Mountains. The temperature fluctuations in the mountains left many working in freezing cold or burning heat. They also faced natural dangers such as avalanches. Laborers had to dynamite thousands of tons of rock, a hazardous task, and then move the displaced stones, largely by hand. This process alone may have claimed the lives of about one thousand Chinese laborers.

Chinese workers routinely received less pay than their fellow workers, and generally slept outside in tents instead of in railroad cars where other workers slept. In addition, they generally did not receive meals from the railroad company as part of their pay. Rather, they had to provide their own, often by striking deals with local merchants. Workers often walked long distances carrying tea, rice, and other provisions.

Despite these challenges, the Chinese immigrants persisted. Most had, or gained, literacy and formed social organizations to help improve their lives. In 1867, about three thousand Chinese workers staged a strike for higher wages; although this was not successful, it showed their defense of their rights and self-worth.

When the Transcontinental Railroad project finally reached completion in 1869, the nation rejoiced, and railroad tycoons made huge fortunes. Laborers, particularly immigrant laborers, generally received little if any credit. Many immigrant laborers decided to return to China with any money they had saved. Others used their earnings to buy property and settle in the United States, some arranging for their families in China to sail to the country and join them.

Over time, Chinese American towns grew throughout several of the Western states. Although they continued to face challenges and were not allowed citizenship until 1943, these laborers had made an indelible mark on American history.

Bibliography

Ambrose, Stephen E. Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863–1869. Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Bain, David Haward. Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad. Penguin Books, 2000.

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“Immigration and Relocation in US History: Chinese.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/chinese/. Accessed 7 June 2023.

“More About the Transcontinental Railroad.” National Museum of American History, americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise-exhibition/new-perspectives/forgotten-workers/trr. Accessed 7 June 2023.

Sayej, Nadja. “‘Forgotten by Society’—How Chinese Migrants Built the Transcontinental Railroad.” The Guardian, 18 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jul/18/forgotten-by-society-how-chinese-migrants-built-the-transcontinental-railroad. Accessed 7 June 2023.

Shashkevich, Alex. “Stanford Project Gives Voice to Chinese Workers Who Helped Build the Transcontinental Railroad.” Stanford University, 9 Apr. 2019, news.stanford.edu/2019/04/09/giving-voice-to-chinese-railroad-workers/. Accessed 7 June 2023.