The Transcontinental Railroad and the Forgotten Chinese Workers Who Helped Build It

The impact of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 altered the destiny of America, but also changed the fate of many of its laborers, especially the Chinese immigrant workers who made this iconic feat possible. Professor Gordon H. Chang tells me how their contribution changed the history of America as we know it.
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[@brianplum1825]

China is a big country, but the Chinese laborers who built the railroads almost all came from a small part of Guangdong province -- Taishan (台山) county -- an area smaller than Delaware. Their variety of the Cantonese dialect dominated Chinatowns in America until the recent influx of immigrants from other parts of China.

[@charliedeleeuw2305]

Hey Brian, I found this comment really interesting, have you got any sources I could look over? I'm writing a story about a Chinese railroad worker and would love to know as much as possible.

[@dannyyy97]

This is why when making fun of chinese peoples language, the white man says : ping pong wing wong shi shang kong wong shi kong wang wong,etc... Because cantonese actually sounds like this as opposed to mandarin, mandarin doesnt sound like : " pong wing shong ding dong eing wong, etc

[@brianplum1825]

​@@dannyyy97 Now everyone knows what a racist sounds like.

[@JL-oi8di]

@@charliedeleeuw2305 type “Kai ping “ or Taishan”, you can see videos about that

[@AQuietNight]

The Chinese were brought in because the Central Pacific wouldn't pay the wages asked for by experienced track gangs from the east. Generally speaking railroad construction was dangerous work no matter where done but cutting across the high Rocky Mountains was pretty dramatic and the heights worked at lead to a lot of injury and death. Charlie Crocker who headed the construction of the Central Pacific and probably had battery acid for blood in his notes did express an admiration for his Chinese track layers saying they did all he could hope for and their employment worked out well.

[@danielleliao8202]

Thank you for making this video.

[@ReconnectingRoots]

❤️

[@teptime]

My Grandfather grew up in a small town called Caliente in Nevada during the 20s. At some point, he came into possession of a diary(now owned by my Uncle) which had been kept by that town's first sheriff. In it, he laments that he accepted a 10 dollar bribe to overlook that an "opium addled Chinaman" had fallen ill with typhoid, and was shot like a dog, rather than taken to a doctor. Terribly, terribly sad chapter in our history.

[@reverendnate4224]

He kept a diary? Gayyyyyy

[@JL-oi8di]

It makes me so sad

[@georgkilianbraunig5877]

dang you guys do some great videos on here

[@liquid6901]

I'm reading the book by Stephen Ambrose "Nothing Like It In The World." The parts about the Chinese laborers riding a basket down to shove the powder and light the fuse then to be hauled up! Or how they insisted on specific food from an Importer in San Francisco. It could not have been done so quickly without their labor! Then the hideous way they were treated for their good faith and hard work.

[@jasonreviews]

RIP my great uncles RIP

[@vicalexander3179]

After Mao Zedong's Communist Revolution, these Chinese workers were ignored by US history writers; however, most people forget my Assyrian father Nimrod whose grandfather was a Jewish merchant from Istanbul Turkey born in 1884 who immigrated to the US in 1888. He was friends with Howard Hughes Sr, who invented the self-cleaning oil drill, and it was my Assyrian father Nimrod who hired these Chinese workers to built the transcontinental railroad, and the most important commodity the railroads transported was oil from the oil fields to the East, where Jewish millionaires like the David Rockefeller cornered the market in oil. It's now Chevron, the best oil. That's why Liv Alexander and I always go to Chevron stations. And my father also was a friend of Howard Hughes Jr, whom my Assyrian father gave him the Air Mail service for two years, because my Assyrian father was a leading CIA man. During WW II, my Assyrian father did everything he could so five-star General Dwight Eisenhower was victorious against Germany and Japan -- Vic Alexander

[@kumikoOG]

*Interesting fact.*

[@darlamae9876]

Beautifully said wow❤️‍🩹

[@kkist1886]

Still the same speed 100yrs later.

[@abigailmorales1613]

I enjoy this vid 😊

[@eillenhernandez3016]

Is this in your history books AMERICA?

[@newworldorder9262]

Nope

[@-.Germanicus.-]

Yes it is

[@magallanthepenguin9132]

My parents also from Guangdong, never got any relatives that built the railroad but I did learn about in grade 8 history class in canada. But never got their names only recognition in race. Sorry if this comes off racist, but my parents worked hard as a plumber. Yes they complain about america being anti china all the time, but u don't see us looting on mass and don't demand reparations like that

[@Otta4Fur]

What made construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad possible

[@TimBrianTufuga]

Now the Chinese Belt and Road are building the world's Speed Rail Network worldover. They have been inspired by the American Chinese Railway workers over a century ago.

[@pointblankeloquence9578]

I came here after reading the children's book "Coolies" my son got at the Library. The Chinese people are nice. The CCP isn't.

[@tonydanila5708]

that sounds like fake news.

[@Embargoman]

True and they outperform Union workers protected by the UAW the Big 3 are the modern day railroads.

[@haley-and_gaming6371]

wow

[@collinhuey2090]

reparations i want 50 grand

[@-.Germanicus.-]

Sorry hun...im still waiting on my Roman reparations

[@beasonxiong4806]

Nuts

[@eddiedeleon2425]

Uni Pacons the connectivity how are Mam Ng si Eddy po before Rene form his name and style in business, salamat

[@levereward3234]

If we look at Chinese imforstructure right now it way out class our engineers here in the usa

[@TopHour]

Slaves built the entire eastern railroads thru the mountains

[@matthiasmuller7677]

Ok but why chinese in the first place???

[@Embargoman]

They are great workers and don’t slack a Chinese auto worker nowadays are more reliable than a UAW worker.

[@user-jk9sy6gf1z]

Because the white workers were lazy and slow