Chinese workers who united the States
<p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="Tom">Tom</span> <span word="Clifford">Clifford</span></p><p><span word="They">They</span> <span word="carried">carried</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Pharaonic">Pharaonic</span> <span word="feat">feat</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="labor">labor</span>, <span word="uniting">uniting</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="states">states</span>. <span word="Few">Few</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="history">history</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="done">done</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="credited">credited</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="sparsely">sparsely</span>.</p><p><span word="For">For</span> <span word="decades">decades</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="contributions">contributions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="railroad">railroad</span> <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="important">important</span> <span word="construction">construction</span> <span word="project">project</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="mid">mid</span>-19<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="America">America</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="transcontinental">transcontinental</span> <span word="railroad">railroad</span>, <span word="were">were</span> <span word="largely">largely</span> <span word="ignored">ignored</span>.</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="May">May</span> 10, 1869, <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="employed">employed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span> <span word="hammered">hammered</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="final">final</span> <span word="rails">rails</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="famous">famous</span> <span word="golden">golden</span> <span word="spike">spike</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="driven">driven</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Promontory">Promontory</span> <span word="Point">Point</span>, <span word="Utah">Utah</span>.</p><p><span word="Physically">Physically</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="symbolically">symbolically</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="completed">completed</span> <span word="rail">rail</span> <span word="linked">linked</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="had">had</span>, <span word="just">just</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="few">few</span> <span word="short">short</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="earlier">earlier</span>, <span word="been">been</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="nation">nation</span> <span word="ripped">ripped</span> <span word="asunder">asunder</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="civil">civil</span> <span word="war">war</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="officially">officially</span> <span word="recognized">recognized</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="May">May</span> 2017 <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="ceremony">ceremony</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span>.</p><p><span word="More">More</span> <span word="than">than</span> 12,000 <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="southern">southern</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="hired">hired</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Central">Central</span> <span word="Pacific">Pacific</span> <span word="Railroad">Railroad</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="overwhelming">overwhelming</span> <span word="majority">majority</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="workforce">workforce</span>, <span word="far">far</span> <span word="outnumbering">outnumbering</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="nationalities">nationalities</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="iconic">iconic</span> <span word="photo">photo</span>, <span word="with">with</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="facing">facing</span>, <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="menacingly">menacingly</span> <span word="impatient">impatient</span>, <span word="locomotives">locomotives</span> <span word="surrounded">surrounded</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="workmen">workmen</span>, <span word="depicts">depicts</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="moment">moment</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="line">line</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="completed">completed</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="company">company</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="actually">actually</span> <span word="honor">honor</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Promontory">Promontory</span> <span word="Point">Point</span>. <span word="As">As</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="photo">photo</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="organized">organized</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="invited">invited</span> <span word="representatives">representatives</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="meet">meet</span> <span word="company">company</span> <span word="executives">executives</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="special">special</span> <span word="rail">rail</span> <span word="car">car</span>.</p><p><span word="However">However</span>, <span word="at">at</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="precise">precise</span> <span word="moment">moment</span>, <span word="either">either</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="design">design</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="fault">fault</span>, <span word="Andrew">Andrew</span> <span word="J">J</span>. <span word="Russell">Russell</span> <span word="shouted">shouted</span> “<span word="smile">smile</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="camera">camera</span>'' <span word="to">to</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="meticulously">meticulously</span> <span word="assembled">assembled</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="locomotives">locomotives</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="images">images</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="defined">defined</span> <span word="America">America</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="definitive">definitive</span> <span word="depiction">depiction</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="gone">gone</span> <span word="before">before</span>.</p>
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