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. The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University seeks to give a voice to the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. The Project, co-directed by Professors Gordon H. Chang and Shelley Fisher Fishkin, coordinates research in North America and Asia to create an online digital archive available to all, along with books, digital visualizations, conferences, and public events.
SPICE has created four lessons for high school audiences that draw upon research and findings from the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. Teachers may deliver all four modules in the order listed below, or may deliver any one lesson as a stand-alone unit.
SPICE is grateful to Monica Yeung Arima and Adrian Arima for their generosity in making the development of the lessons possible.
Interactive website: Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University
In the news:
- "What Does It Take To Rectify The History Of Chinese Railroad Workers?" Newsy. May 24, 2019.
- "Remembering the Chinese railroad workers that built Stanford’s fortune." Stanford Daily. May 23, 2019.
- "Chinese Railroad Workers Were Almost Written Out of History. Now They’re Getting Their Due." New York Times. May 14, 2019.
- "Stanford project gives voice to Chinese workers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad." Stanford News. April 9, 2019.
- SPICE Director Gary Mukai and SPICE Curriculum Consultant Gregory Francis gave an overview of the lessons during the "150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike: Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad" event that was held at Stanford University on April 11, 2019.