Why did so many Chinese work on the Transcontinental Railroad?

The Central Pacific Railroad, which was tasked with constructing the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad, began hiring Chinese workers in 1864 after facing a labor shortage that jeopardized the railroad's completion.



Between 1864 and 1869, approximately 15,000 Chinese immigrants (90% of the Central Pacific Railroad's workforce) were hired due to a critical labor shortage in the American West. Most white workers were either fighting in the Civil War or lured away by the Nevada gold and silver strikes. Initially hired as an "experiment" by Charles Crocker, Chinese laborers proved so disciplined, healthy (due to their habit of drinking boiled tea), and efficient that the railroad began recruiting them directly from the Guangdong province. These men were fleeing the poverty and violence of the Taiping Rebellion. Despite their essential role, they were paid 30% less than white workers, forced to pay for their own food and lodging, and assigned the most dangerous tasks—such as hand-tunneling through the solid granite of the Sierra Nevada Mountains using unstable nitroglycerin. Their sacrifice was pivotal in connecting the US, yet they were largely excluded from the "Golden Spike" celebrations and faced the Exclusion Act shortly after.

People Also Ask

Altogether, the Central Pacific Railroad hired an estimated 12,000 Chinese workers, some as young as 12. The Chinese workers, at that time the largest industrial workforce in American history, made up 90 percent of the Central Pacific's total labor force.

MORE DETAILS

Between 1865-1869, 10,000 -12,000 Chinese were involved in the building of the western leg of the Central Pacific Railroad. The work was backbreaking and highly dangerous. Approximately 1,200 died while building the Transcontinental Railroad. Over a thousand Chinese had their bones shipped back to China to be buried.

MORE DETAILS

Tribes increasingly came into conflict with the railroad as they attempted to defend their diminishing resources. Additionally, the railroad brought white homesteaders who farmed the newly tamed land that had been the bison's domain.

MORE DETAILS

They were paid less than other workers and expected to purchase their own food. However, this disadvantage turned out to carry some advantages for the Chinese workers. Records indicate they ate a diet rich in vegetables, seafood, rice, and tea.

MORE DETAILS

The job was not easy. Both railroads had to cross rugged terrain, desert and mountains and both had to deal with harsh weather. At times the greatest danger came from the Indian raids as the railroads intersected the Native Americans' land. The Indians attacked the crews in order to protect their homeland.

MORE DETAILS

As well as being paid less, Chinese workers were given the most dangerous tasks, such as handling the explosive nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock. Due to the harsh conditions they faced, hundreds of Chinese Canadians working on the railway died from accidents, winter cold, illness and malnutrition.

MORE DETAILS

The building of the Transcontinental Railroad relied on the labor of thousands of migrant workers, including Chinese, Irish, and Mormons workers. On the western portion, about 90% of the backbreaking work was done by Chinese migrants.

MORE DETAILS

With no support from other workers, the Chinese strike ended without event, and the men went back to working hard and steady. Thousands more Chinese were brought on to finish the railroad. In 1868 Central Pacific crews finally broke out of the Sierra Nevada.

MORE DETAILS

The author was just one of the thousands of people who flocked to the Transcontinental Railroad beginning in 1869. The railroad, which stretched nearly 2,000 miles between Iowa, Nebraska and California, reduced travel time across the West from about six months by wagon or 25 days by stagecoach to just four days.

MORE DETAILS