Inside the Vault: Building the Transcontinental Railroad
The transcontinental railroad transformed America. As the largest engineering project of its time, the railroad was critical for connecting the country coast to coast, and required arduous manual labor. While initially barred from hire, Chinese workers became crucial to the effort, ultimately making up 90 percent of the Central Pacific Railroad’s workforce. We will feature photographs of the completion ceremony in May 1869, where workers and engineers celebrated side by side.
Join us on June 5, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss the construction of the transcontinental railroad with Stanford University professor Gordon H. Chang.
Submit your questions for Dr. Chang here.
Featured Documents
Related Resources
- Book: The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H. Chang and Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Book: War, Race, and Culture: Journeys in Trans-Pacific and Asian American Histories by Gordon H. Chang
- Book: Ghosts Of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H. Chang
- Book Breaks: "The Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad with Gordon H. Chang”
- Essay: "The Origins of the Transcontinental Railroad" by Richard White (Stanford University), History Now 38 (Winter 2014)
- Essay: "Financing the Transcontinental Railroad" by Maury Klein (University of Rhode Island), History Now 38 (Winter 2014)
- Essay: "American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad" by Elliott West (University of Arkansas), History Now 38 (Winter 2014)
- Essay: "Photographing the Transcontinental Railroad" by Glenn Willumson (University of Rhode Island), History Now 38 (Winter 2014)
- Lesson Plan: "The Transcontinental Railroad: Interpreting Images" by Ron Nash
- Lesson Plan: "The Transcontinental Railroad in Images and Poetry" by Sandra Trenholm
I cannot attend the live program. Will it be recorded?
Yes! The program is recorded and sent in an email the following day to everyone who registers.
Future Programs
Inside the Vault: The Olive Branch Petition
Join us on July 3, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss the Olive Branch Petition with Denver Brunsman, Associate Professor of History at George Washington University.
Inside the Vault: Manhattan Project Scientists Predict a Nuclear Arms Race
Join us on August 7, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss the declaration of concern, written by Manhattan Project scientists after the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, with Cynthia Kelly, President of the Atomic Heritage Foundation.
About Inside the Vault
Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection is an online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. From iconic historical treasures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, to personal letters that reveal the contributions of ordinary American citizens, each session will investigate primary sources and discuss their background, impact, and potential use in the classroom.