That Time The Chinese And The Irish Built The American Railroad! The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, relied heavily on exploited Chinese labor for the Central Pacific line, who endured dangerous conditions, low wages, and racial division. Despite their critical role, Chinese workers faced brutal treatment, including denial of basic rights and suppression of strikes, revealing the hypocrisy of the Republican Party’s ‘free labor’ ideology. This exploitation extended to the point of coercion, with workers rounded up like cattle, demonstrating a stark contrast between the nation’s progress and the human cost borne by its most marginalized workers.

• The Central Pacific Railroad hired Chinese laborers, who made up 80% of its workforce by 1868, facing discrimination and dangerous working conditions.
• Chinese workers were paid significantly less than Irish workers and had to pay for their own food and board.
• Construction through the Sierra Nevada involved extreme dangers like avalanches and tunnel explosions, with no employer accountability for worker safety.
• A strike by Chinese workers in 1867 demanded better wages, shorter hours, an end to beatings, and the right to quit, but was met with starvation tactics by the company.
• The Republican Party’s ‘free labor’ ideology was limited, often tolerating coerced labor for profit as long as it did not resemble Southern slavery.
• Hatred towards Chinese immigrants eventually led to the Chinese Exclusion Act, and violence only subsided with declining Chinese populations and increased Japanese immigration.