Useful Links
Building the Transcontinental Railroad: How 20,000 Chinese Immigrants Made It Happen
At first railroad companies were reluctant to hire Chinese workers, but the immigrants soon proved to be vital.
https://www.history.com/news/transcontinental-railroad-chinese-immigrants
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/chinese/struggling-for-work/
A legacy from the Far East
https://www.nps.gov/gosp/learn/historyculture/a-legacy-from-the-far-east.htm
The Transcontinental Railroad and the Asian-American Story
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/the-transcontinental-railroad-and-the-asian-american-story
The Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers
https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/chinese-transcontinental-railroad-workers-video/asian-americans/
At first railroad companies were reluctant to hire Chinese workers, but the immigrants soon proved to be vital.
https://www.history.com/news/transcontinental-railroad-chinese-immigrants
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/chinese/struggling-for-work/
A legacy from the Far East
https://www.nps.gov/gosp/learn/historyculture/a-legacy-from-the-far-east.htm
The Transcontinental Railroad and the Asian-American Story
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/the-transcontinental-railroad-and-the-asian-american-story
The Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers
https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/chinese-transcontinental-railroad-workers-video/asian-americans/
Primary Sources
Classroom Resources
Introduction:
This lesson familiarizes students with the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project (CRWNAP), the significance of using primary sources, and what the lives and experiences of Chinese railroad workers might have been like. The lesson begins with a discussion of how we interpret the past and learn about our ancestors. Students then discuss their current knowledge of early Chinese immigrants and are introduced to the CRWNAP with a short news clip. Students also listen to part of a National Public Radio recording, “Stanford Project Unearths Histories of Chinese Railroad Workers,” with Stanford History Professor and CRWNAP Project Co-director, Gordon Chang; Chinese Historical Society of America Executive Director, Sue Lee; and Russell Low, a descendant of a Chinese railroad worker. Students also learn about the importance of using primary sources in interpreting the past.
https://fsi-live.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/crwnap_1_-_chinese_railroad_workers_in_north_america_project.pdf
This lesson familiarizes students with the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project (CRWNAP), the significance of using primary sources, and what the lives and experiences of Chinese railroad workers might have been like. The lesson begins with a discussion of how we interpret the past and learn about our ancestors. Students then discuss their current knowledge of early Chinese immigrants and are introduced to the CRWNAP with a short news clip. Students also listen to part of a National Public Radio recording, “Stanford Project Unearths Histories of Chinese Railroad Workers,” with Stanford History Professor and CRWNAP Project Co-director, Gordon Chang; Chinese Historical Society of America Executive Director, Sue Lee; and Russell Low, a descendant of a Chinese railroad worker. Students also learn about the importance of using primary sources in interpreting the past.
https://fsi-live.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/crwnap_1_-_chinese_railroad_workers_in_north_america_project.pdf