Lesson Plan, Video, Article, Activity The Contributions of the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers
- Grade Level 6th-12th Grade
- Time Period Late 1800s
Introduction
With dreams of having a better life, thousands of Chinese risked their lives across the Pacific Ocean to join in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad from 1863 to 1869. These Chinese laborers worked under extreme and hazardous environments. Due to their ethnic appearance and language barriers, the Chinese were greatly taken advantage of by their employers. These Chinese laborers became pioneers in the collective labor actions of American labor history, while also contributing to the economies of the U.S. and China.
Students will learn:
- The contributions of Chinese railroad workers and immigrants to the economies of the United States and their home countries abroad.
- The pay disparities and working conditions of Chinese railroad workers and immigrant workers.
- The fact that the Chinese railroad workers’ contributions were not recognized.
- The reasons immigrants wanted to come to the U.S.
- To research the railroad’s impact on the Native Americans’ lives, communities, and homelands.
Essential Questions
What purpose did the Transcontinental Railroad serve for the U.S. economy at that time?
Why were Chinese workers needed to build the Transcontinental Railroad?
Why did the Chinese workers want to come to the U.S. to build the railroad?
What parts of the railroad did the Chinese build? Why?
Why were the Chinese not included in the completion ceremony photograph at Promontory Point? Why weren’t they given credit for their work for over 100 years?
How did the railroad impact the Native Americans’ lives, communities and homelands?
What type of jobs do immigrant and migrant workers take on today?
Why does the U.S. want to bring in immigrant and migrant workers?
Why do immigrant and migrant workers continue to come to the United States today?