Why did the Chinese railroad workers have to work so hard to build the first transcontinental railroad?
Why did the Chinese railroad workers have to work so hard to build the first transcontinental railroad? During the 19th century, more than 2.5 million Chinese citizens left their country and were hired in 1864 after a labor shortage threatened the railroad's completion. The work was tiresome, as the railroad was built entirely by manual laborers who used to shovel 20 pounds of rock over 400 times a day.
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.
What was the hardest part of building the Transcontinental Railroad?
Answer and Explanation: For the US government and the railroad companies, the biggest obstacles in building the Transcontinental Railroad were mountains of solid granite and attacks by Native American war parties.
Were Chinese railroad workers paid less?
“Not only were they paid less than their white counterparts,” Chang says. “They also had to pay for their food, supplies and medicine, all of which the railroad company provided to white workers.” What little money the Chinese workers saved, they sent back to their families.
Why was it hard for workers to build the Transcontinental Railroad?
They had to face dangerous work conditions – accidental explosions, snow and rock avalanches, which killed hundreds of workers, not to mention frigid weather. “All workers on the railroad were 'other',” said Liebhold.
What was the biggest obstacle in the way of building the transcontinental railroad?
Builders of the transcontinental railroad faced geographical obstacles across the entire line. But none were quite as formidable as the snowy granite mountain range rising east of Sacramento. Getting through the Sierra Nevada would require fortitude, technology -- and the sacrifice of many workers' lives.
What was not true about Chinese immigrants who worked on building the Transcontinental Railroad?
What was not true about Chinese immigrants who worked on building the Transcontinental Railroad? They worked few hours each day.
When did the Chinese start build the railroad?
From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad. They were paid less than American workers and lived in tents, while white workers were given accommodation in train cars.
What was life like for railroad workers?
Railroad workers put in long hours; a 1907 law restricted train crews to 16 hours work out of every 24. Well into the twentieth century, work was unsteady and unsafe. One railroad worker in every 357 nationally died on the job in 1889.
What helped build the first transcontinental railroad?
Building was financed by both state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company-issued mortgage bonds. The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 miles (212 km) of track from the road's western terminus at Alameda/Oakland to Sacramento, California.
What happened to the Chinese workers after the railroad was completed?
After completing the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, Chinese laborers fanned out across the United States to work on at least 71 other rail lines, according to Fishkin.
Did the Chinese help build the first transcontinental railroad?
Geography of Chinese Workers Building the Transcontinental Railroad. Between 1865 and 1869, thousands of Chinese migrants toiled at a grueling pace and in perilous working conditions to help construct America's first Transcontinental Railroad.
How were the Chinese railway workers treated?
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.