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Lesson Plan, Unit Plan, Activity, Article, Video :

Lesson Plan, Unit Plan, Activity, Article, Video Primary/Secondary Sources: Chinese Railroad Workers

  • Grade Level 3rd-5th Grade
  • Time Period Early 1800s
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Introduction

This resource set focuses on the contributions of Chinese railroad workers to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and the interpretation of historical sources. Through various primary and secondary sources, and lesson plans, students explore how these workers shaped the American West and learn how scholars use different types of evidence to study the past.

LESSON PLAN
The Asian American Education Project: Lesson Plan: Episode 1, Lesson 2: “The Contributions of the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers”

VIDEOS
PBS: Excerpt from Asian Americans, Episode 1: “The Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers”

PRIMARY SOURCES
Stanford University: Chinese Railroads in North America Project: Photos, Oral Histories, Artifacts, Payroll Records)
Stanford University Lesson Plans: Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project
Stanford University: Geography of Chinese Workers Building the Transcontinental Railroad - A virtual reconstruction of the key historic sites
Stanford Program of International and Cross-Cultural Education: Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project
APA Center Smithsonian: Learning Together: Chinese Laborers on the Transcontinental Railroad and Golden Spike Anniversary Topical Collection
Stanford Libraries: East and West Shaking Hands at the Laying of the Last Rail (1869)

Essential Questions

  • How did Chinese railroad workers contribute to the first Transcontinental Railroad and help shape the

  • landscape of the American West?

  • How do scholars interpret the past without first-hand written records?