In May 1869, as the golden spike was driven into the final rail of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad, marking a historic moment that symbolized progress and unity, a painful omission cast a long shadow over the celebration. The Chinese laborers who had built the most treacherous stretches of the Central Pacific Railroad were nowhere to…
The abolition of slavery in the mid-19th century reshaped global labor markets, driving a surge in Chinese labor migration to replace enslaved workers in plantations, railroads, and mines. Facing poverty, war, and political turmoil, thousands of Chinese laborers embarked on perilous ocean journeys, enduring exploitation, deception, and harsh working conditions under the coolie trade. This…

