A History of the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Worker

Produced in collaboration with CHatGPT for middle school and high school US History students

This post opens with a 400-word CHatGPT-produced description of the history of the Chinese transcontinental railroad worker.

The post then offers up several short but very good Youtube videos and two blog posts relating to the topic of the Chinese transcontinental railroad worker.

The post then gives the reader twenty-one “need-to-know” terms/phrases relating to that history (with each term/phrase briefly described by ChatGPT.)

The post closes out with a CHatGPT-produced bank of test questions:

• Ten multiple-choice questions
• Ten short answer questions
• Ten true/false questions
• Four long essay questions

Overview

Chinese immigrants played a significant role in the construction of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the eastern and western coasts of the United States in the mid-19th century. Here is a brief history of the Chinese railroad workers:

• Chinese immigrants began arriving in the United States in large numbers during the California Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s. Many worked in mining, agriculture, and other industries in California and other western states.
• In the late 1860s, the Central Pacific Railroad began recruiting Chinese laborers to work on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, which would link the Central Pacific with the Union Pacific Railroad and create a coast-to-coast transportation route.
• The Chinese laborers worked on some of the most difficult and dangerous portions of the railroad construction, including the building of tunnels through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.
• Chinese workers were often paid less than their white counterparts and were subjected to dangerous working conditions, including the use of explosives like nitroglycerin to blast through rock.
• Despite these challenges, the Chinese laborers were known for their hard work, skill, and efficiency, and they played a major role in the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
• The work on the railroad began in 1863 and was completed in 1869, when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met at Promontory Point, Utah.
• After the completion of the railroad, many Chinese workers remained in the United States and continued to work in various industries, including railroad construction and maintenance.
• However, Chinese immigrants also faced discrimination and racism in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which severely limited Chinese immigration to the United States and denied Chinese immigrants many of the rights and privileges enjoyed by other Americans.

Today, the contributions of the Chinese railroad workers are recognized and celebrated, with monuments and memorials located throughout the United States honoring their important role in American history.

Need-to-Know Terms/Phrases

1. Transcontinental Railroad: A railroad that connected the east and west coasts of the United States and was largely built by Chinese laborers.
2. Anti-Chinese sentiment: Negative attitudes and discrimination against Chinese immigrants, which were fueled by fears that they were taking jobs away from white Americans.
3. Central Pacific Railroad: The railroad company responsible for building the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad, which employed thousands of Chinese workers.
4. Union Pacific Railroad: The railroad company responsible for building the eastern portion of the Transcontinental Railroad, which employed mostly Irish and German workers.
5. Chinese laborers: The Chinese immigrants who were hired by the Central Pacific Railroad to work on the Transcontinental Railroad, often under harsh conditions and for low pay.
6. Summit Tunnel #6: A tunnel through the Sierra Nevada mountains in California that was the longest tunnel on the Transcontinental Railroad and was largely built by Chinese laborers.
7. Bloomer Cut: A section of the Transcontinental Railroad in California that was carved through solid granite by Chinese laborers using hand tools and explosives.
8. Golden Spike Ceremony: A ceremony held in 1869 to mark the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, in which a golden spike was driven into the ground at Promontory Summit in Utah.
9. Charles Crocker: A railroad executive who oversaw the construction of the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad and who employed thousands of Chinese laborers.
10. Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial: A monument located in Sacramento, California, that honors the Chinese laborers who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad and their contributions to American history.
11. Cisco Chinese Labor Strike: A labor strike in 1885 by Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad, who were protesting their working conditions and low wages.
12. Nitroglycerin: An explosive used in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, which was often handled by Chinese workers.
13. Sacramento: The capital city of California, which was an important center for Chinese immigrants who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad.
14. Promontory Point: The location in Utah where the Golden Spike Ceremony was held to mark the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
15. East/West leg of the route: The portion of the Transcontinental Railroad that was built by the Central Pacific Railroad, which started in Sacramento and extended westward to Promontory Point.
16. West/East leg of the route: The portion of the Transcontinental Railroad that was built by the Union Pacific Railroad, which started in Omaha, Nebraska, and extended eastward to Promontory Point.
17. Guangdong Province: The region in southern China from which many of the Chinese immigrants who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad originated.
18. The Irish who worked on the railroad: The Irish immigrants who were employed by the Union Pacific Railroad to work on the eastern portion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
19. When work on the railroad began and ended: Construction on the Transcontinental Railroad began in 1863 and was completed in 1869.
20. Cape Horn: A treacherous route around the southern tip of South America that was previously used to transport goods and people between the east and west coasts of the United States before the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
21. Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project: A project based at Stanford University that aims to uncover the history of the Chinese laborers who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad.

The Youtube Videos

The Blog Posts

• The Chinese Railroad Workers and the Donner Pass Tunnels: For those wanting to learn about the thousands whose backbreaking work in California’s High Sierras changed America
• The Donner Pass Summit Tunnels: For those wanting to see the tunnels up close and learn their history

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What percentage of the workforce that built the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad was made up of Chinese laborers? a) 10% b) 25% c) 50% d) 75%
2. How much were Chinese laborers paid compared to other workers on the Transcontinental Railroad? a) The same as other workers b) Slightly less than other workers c) Significantly less than other workers d) More than other workers
3. What was the name of the longest tunnel on the Transcontinental Railroad, largely built by Chinese laborers? a) Bloomer Cut b) Summit Tunnel #6 c) Cape Horn Tunnel d) Promontory Tunnel
4. What was the name of the ceremony held in 1869 to mark the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad? a) Golden Circle Ceremony b) Silver Circle Ceremony c) Golden Spike Ceremony d) Silver Spike Ceremony
5. Where did the Transcontinental Railroad meet, linking the east and west coasts of the United States? a) Sacramento, California b) Promontory Point, Utah c) Omaha, Nebraska d) Kansas City, Missouri
6. What was the name of the region in southern China from which many of the Chinese immigrants who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad originated? a) Beijing Province b) Shanghai Province c) Guangdong Province d) Jiangsu Province
7. What was the name of the labor strike in 1885 by Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad? a) Sacramento Strike b) Nitroglycerin Strike c) Cisco Chinese Labor Strike d) Bloomer Cut Strike
8. What was the name of the explosive used in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad? a) Dynamite b) Nitroglycerin c) C-4 d) TNT
9. What was the name of the treacherous route around the southern tip of South America that was previously used to transport goods and people between the east and west coasts of the United States? a) Cape Cod b) Cape Fear c) Cape Horn d) Cape May
10. What was the name of the monument located in Sacramento, California, that honors the Chinese laborers who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad? a) Golden Spike Monument b) Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial c) Summit Tunnel Memorial d) Central Pacific Railroad Monument

True/False Questions

1. Chinese immigrants began arriving in the United States during the Gilded Age.
2. The Central Pacific Railroad began recruiting large numbers of German laborers to work on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the early 1860s.
3. The Chinese laborers usually only worked on the easiest and safest portions of the railroad construction.
4. Chinese workers were often paid more than their white counterparts.
5. Chinese laborers used explosives like nitroglycerin to blast through rock of Summit Tunnel #6.
6. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met at Promontory Point, Utah.
7. After the completion of the railroad, most Chinese workers returned to China.
8. Chinese immigrants faced little discrimination and racism in the United States, and enjoyed the same rights and privileges as other Americans.
9. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 limited Chinese immigration to the United States and denied Chinese immigrants many of the rights and privileges enjoyed by other Americans.
10. The contributions of the Chinese railroad workers are not recognized or celebrated in the United States today.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was ONE reason why the Central Pacific Railroad recruited Chinese laborers for the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad?
2. What was ONE cause of the dangerous working conditions that Chinese laborers faced while working on the railroad?
3. What was ONE factor that contributed to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869?
4. What was ONE reason why Chinese laborers were paid less than their white counterparts?
5. What was ONE outcome of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad for transportation in the United States?
6. What was ONE reason why many Chinese workers remained in the United States after the completion of the railroad?
7. What was ONE result of the discrimination and racism faced by Chinese immigrants in the United States?
8. What was ONE factor that led to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
9. What was ONE reason why the contributions of the Chinese railroad workers were not recognized or celebrated for many years?
10. What was ONE result of the efforts to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the Chinese railroad workers in the United States today?

Long Answer Questions

1. What role did Chinese railroad workers play in the construction of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad? How did their contributions shape the development of the railroad and the growth of the United States as a whole?
2. Discuss the working conditions that Chinese railroad workers faced while working on the Transcontinental Railroad. What were some of the specific hazards they encountered, and how did they cope with these dangers?
3. How did the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad impact the Native Americans?
4. What were some of the changes that resulted from this historic feat of engineering?