Running head: Chinese Railroad Workers
             Most Americans take our railroad systems for granted. With the exception of die-hard railroad enthusiasts often referred to as "foamers", most of us only notice the railroad systems when we're inconvenienced by them. We're annoyed when we have to wait at a crossing or have to turn up our televisions because of the noise of a passing train. What most of us don't realize is the major economic impact railroads have on our lives. We depend on the freight that railroads move for us each day that include everything from automobiles to provisions. An even more important oversight by many of us is the hard work and sacrifice that occurred during the construction of our railroads. Unfortunately for the thousands of Chinese workers that came to America to work on the railroads, they were the ones that would be shouldering most of the hard work and sacrifice.
             The railroad systems in America didn't come easy. There were many factors that stood in the way of a smooth construction. Social and political factors were always an issue for the early railroads. For example, in California in 1865, the Central Pacific Railroad had a major labor shortage. "In 1864, the company had only 600 laborers at work, a small fraction of the 5,000 for which it had advertised" (Mintz 2003). Of those railroad workers that were employed at the time, not many of those could be depended upon to get the work done. Resignation, desertion and alcohol abuse plagued the railroad's employee pool making it very difficult to precisely forecast time, money and materials needed. An example of this was given in a statement by one superintendent when he said, "Some would stay until payday, get a little money, and get drunk and clear out" (Mintz 2003). The statement of shortage meant only that there was a shortage of white laborers, mostly Irish specifically. This didn&ap...