Download or read book Traqueros written by Jeffrey Marcos Garcilazo and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps no other industrial technology changed the course of Mexican history in the United States--and Mexico--than did the coming of the railroads. Tens of thousands of Mexicans worked for the railroads in the United States, especially in the Southwest and Midwest. Construction crews soon became railroad workers proper, along with maintenance crews later. Extensive Mexican American settlements appeared throughout the lower and upper Midwest as the result of the railroad. The substantial Mexican American populations in these regions today are largely attributable to 19th- and 20th-century railroad work. Only agricultural work surpassed railroad work in terms of employment of Mexicans. The full history of Mexican American railroad labor and settlement in the United States had not been told, however, until Jeffrey Marcos Garcílazo's groundbreaking research in Traqueros. Garcílazo mined numerous archives and other sources to provide the first and only comprehensive history of Mexican railroad workers across the United States, with particular attention to the Midwest. He first explores the origins and process of Mexican labor recruitment and immigration and then describes the areas of work performed. He reconstructs the workers' daily lives and explores not only what the workers did on the job but also what they did at home and how they accommodated and/or resisted Americanization. Boxcar communities, strike organizations, and "traquero culture" finally receive historical acknowledgment. Integral to his study is the importance of family settlement in shaping working class communities and consciousness throughout the Midwest.
Download or read book The Filth of Progress written by Ryan Dearinger and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2015-10-30 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In America's historical imagination, toil and triumph against nature and overwhelming odds characterizes such achievements as the Erie Canal and the transcontinental railroad. Triumph transformed canal and railroad entrepreneurs into visionaries whose work brought the nation bountiful riches and did the Lord's bidding. Celebrated for their spirit and perseverance in 'building' the nation's infrastructure, they found respect for looking to tomorrow and creating a future. For generations, most indexes of American history supported and reinforced this narrative of progress. Yet, if this is the historical memory, it is conveniently stunted. What of those whose bodies strained and broke under the load of such glories? What of those men beyond the din and fanfare who only appear in old photographs with faces blurred and indistinguishable? In their lives and deaths in the mud, muck, and mountains is another history of American achievement. These barely visible and forgotten, ordinary men, 'unskilled' immigrants from Ireland and China, Mormons, and native-born American workingmen rank, as well, as the creators of national growth and progress. Their experiences and voices, along with those of the privileged and well-connected, are the subjects of this study. I examine the rise of Western canals and railroads to national prominence through the menial labor of countless men, largely hidden from view because they left virtually no paper trail, who strung together livelihoods at the economic fringes of society. This book examines the contest for control of American progress and history as distilled from the competing narratives of canal and railroad construction workers and those fortunate enough to avoid this fate"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Chinese American Voices written by Judy Yung and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2006-03-20 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Described by others as quaint and exotic, or as depraved and threatening, and, more recently, as successful and exemplary, the Chinese in America have rarely been asked to describe themselves in their own words. This superb anthology, a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans, provides an intimate and textured history of the Chinese in America from their arrival during the California Gold Rush to the present. Among the documents are letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs; many have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Together, they provide insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding fight for equality and inclusion. Featuring photographs and extensive introductions to the documents written by three leading Chinese American scholars, this compelling volume offers a panoramic perspective on the Chinese American experience and opens new vistas on American social, cultural, and political history.
Download or read book Ghosts of Gold Mountain written by Gordon H. Chang and published by Houghton Mifflin. This book was released on 2019 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking, breathtaking history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now.
Download or read book Chinese Railroad Workers written by Susan Sinnott and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Details how the owners of the Central Pacific employed Chinese immigrants as construction workers, and describes the bad weather and natural obstacles they overcame, and the prejudices they faced
Download or read book Railroads and the American People written by H. Roger Grant and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-17 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] wealth of vignettes and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations . . . Does a fine job of humanizing the iron horse” (The Wall Street Journal). In this social history of the impact of railroads on American life, H. Roger Grant concentrates on the railroad’s “golden age,” from 1830 to 1930. He explores four fundamental topics—trains and travel, train stations, railroads and community life, and the legacy of railroading in America—illustrating each with carefully chosen period illustrations. Grant recalls the lasting memories left by train travel, both of luxurious Pullman cars and the grit and grind of coal-powered locals. He discusses the important role railroads played for towns and cities across America, not only for the access they provided to distant places and distant markets but also for the depots that were a focus of community life, and reviews the lasting heritage of the railroads in our culture today. This is “an engaging book of train stories” from one of railroading’s finest historians (Choice). “Highly recommended to train buffs and others in love with early railroading.” —Library Journal “With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology . . . A work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Download or read book Empire s Tracks written by Manu Karuka and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Empire’s Tracks boldly reframes the history of the transcontinental railroad from the perspectives of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Pawnee Native American tribes, and the Chinese migrants who toiled on its path. In this meticulously researched book, Manu Karuka situates the railroad within the violent global histories of colonialism and capitalism. Through an examination of legislative, military, and business records, Karuka deftly explains the imperial foundations of U.S. political economy. Tracing the shared paths of Indigenous and Asian American histories, this multisited interdisciplinary study connects military occupation to exclusionary border policies, a linked chain spanning the heart of U.S. imperialism. This highly original and beautifully wrought book unveils how the transcontinental railroad laid the tracks of the U.S. Empire.
Download or read book Chinese Immigrants in America written by Kelley Hunsicker and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2008 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's 1850, and you are fleeing war and starvation in your homeland of China. You sell everything you have to go to a place in America called Gold Mountain, better known as California. Do you try to strike it rich in the gold mines of California? or ..., Will you seek your fortune in San Francisco's Chinatown? or ..., Will you work as a laborer on the Transcontinental Railroad?
Download or read book The California Gold Rush written by Steve Wilson and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Immigration from China to the United States coincided with the California gold rush. Attracted by the riches “Gold Mountain” had to offer, Chinese immigrants in search of a better life left China in droves in the mid-to-late 19th century. Readers will learn what hardships and successes Chinese immigrants faced when they arrived in the United States through a detailed examination of the push/pull factors that caused thousands of Chinese to leave their home. Important topics such as the growth of the railroad and anti-immigration policies help readers understand the big-picture perspective of Chinese immigration in America. Historical photographs and primary sources provide opportunities for additional learning.
Download or read book The Transcontinental Railroad written by Michael Rajczak and published by Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP. This book was released on 1900-01-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transcontinental railroad didn’t really cross North America. In fact, the famed rail building that took place in the 1860s only completed the stretch from Nebraska to California! Readers will learn many new facts about the transcontinental railroad to augment what they learn in the social studies classroom. Historical images drive home the reality of a 12-hour workday, poor treatment of Chinese immigrant workers, and the dangerous tunneling through the Sierra Nevada. Fact boxes will further fascinate readers with one of the greatest industrial marvels of US history.
Download or read book Voices from the Railroad written by Sue Lee and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ""Voices from the railroad : stories by descendants of Chinese railroad workers" reveal the stories of Chinese railroad workers and their descendants. These stories have never been told outside of their families: until now. Learn about Chin Lin Sou, Hung Lai Woh, Jim King, Lim Lip Hong, Lee Ling & Lee Yik Gim, Lee Wong Sang, Lum Ah Chew, Mock Chuck, & Moy Jin Mun, workers of the Central Pacific Railroad. No longer nameless, faceless workers lost to history, their stories will shatter misconceptions about the Chinese who helped build America."--
Download or read book The Gold Rush written by Jeremy Thornton and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2003-08-01 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book briefly describes the reasons for Chinese immigration to the United States during the late 19th century, and the challenges they faced on arrival.
Download or read book Nothing Like It In the World written by Stephen E. Ambrose and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001-11-06 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the men who build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860's.
Download or read book The Tracks North written by Barbara A. Driscoll and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of a bilateral commitment to focus on winning World War II, over 100,000 contracts were signed between 1943 and 1945 to recruit and transport Mexican workers to the United States for employment on the railroads. A little-known companion to the widely criticized agricultural bracero program, the railroad bracero program corresponded in its implementation more closely to the original intent of both governments than did its agricultural counterpart. In spite of pressure from the railroad industry to continue the program indefinitely, the U.S. government was adamant about terminating it on schedule and returning the workers to Mexico. The railroad bracero program still stands as the only historical example of a binational migration agreement between the two countries that was executed and concluded in the spirit of the original negotiations. The abuses commonly associated with the agricultural program were controlled in the railroad program by the organization of international committees wherein the Mexican government could, and did, force the U.S. government to be accountable for the plight of railroad braceros. The Tracks North is the only book-length study devoted to the railroad bracero program. Barbara Driscoll examines the program and its place in the long history of U.S.-Mexican relations. In so doing, she uses a wealth of materials seldom used by investigators of the bracero program, and also provides a clearer picture of the internal workings of the bracero program in Mexico than any other study produced to date.
Download or read book Railroad Fever written by Monica Halpern and published by National Geographic Kids. This book was released on 2004 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a history of the building of the transcontinental railroad and its effects on American life. By the 1840s, daring Americans were trickling westward to begin a new life in the great wide open. When gold was discovered in 1848, the promise of riches drew people by the thousands out to California. But the journey was slow and dangerous, since the best ways of travelling were by wagon and on foot. During the "railroad fever" of the 1830s, thousands of miles of track were laid, mostly throughout the Northeast and the South. Few had dreamt of extending this new travel westward-but all it takes is a few. Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, allowing for the start of the first transcontinental railroad. Though construction problems and hard times confronted them, American workers, Chinese immigrants, and former slaves pounded away through the rough geography of the western U.S., paving a path for the new train. A day in the life of a railroad worker was not an easy one. The work was backbreaking; the conditions were terrible; and workers were often faced with attack from Native Americans. The building of the railroad turned into a great race between two companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific, to see who could finish their part of the railroad faster. The company that got farthest stood to make the most money. The "great race" turned into a national pastime-with reports of progress dominating the news. Railroad Fever illuminates the struggles of the railroad worker, the anger of the Plains Indians, and the many changes in both American life and geography that were prompted by the railroad. The completion of the transcontinental railroad left empty boomtowns across the country, changed the ethnic face of America, and, of course, created a new exciting and fast way of travel. Like the other titles in the Crossroads America series, Railroad Fever is illustrated with period paintings, drawings, and photographs. Also included are a glossary and an index.
Download or read book My Life as a Chinese Immigrant written by Max Caswell and published by Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP. This book was released on 2017-07-15 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The progress of America after the Industrial Revolution came at the cost of many unnamed lives, and there's no story more indicative of this than the plight of the Chinese men who built the Transcontinental Railroad. Young readers will be transported through first-person accounts, and even a Western Union telegram, into the Central Pacific camp, learning how track was laid, how perilous the job was, and how deeply racism affected these men who thanklessly connected the coasts. Black-and-white photography brings historical details into sharp focus, while a table of powerful statistics exposes the incredible reality of the epic project.
Download or read book The Rocky Road to Liberty written by Chinese American Society and published by Javvin Technologies Inc.. This book was released on 2010 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a collection of historical documents related to immigration of the Chinese to the United States. Special efforts were made to collect documents related to the Chinese Exclusion Act and its impact on the Chinese American society in the United Sates. This book details the Chinese American political struggles and social conditions in California and America. The painful history of misoneism, racism, and inequality are well documented. It all began during California's infancy, the 1850s Gold Rush, which Chinese natives referred to as Gam Saan (Cantonese, for Gold Mountain). These prevailing attitudes expressed misunderstanding and fear towards the Chinese community. And though these prejudices were acknowledged through the rescission of racist laws, an apology was never issued until 2009.
