Race and Immigration

After the Civil War ended in 1865, reuniting the North and South, Americans were determined to unify the United States from East to West by rail. With government investment, two corporations, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, engaged in a race to build the most track the fastest, one going East and one going West,and join the two lines together. Thousands of immigrants from Ireland, China, Mexico, Germany and England, as well as Civil War veterans and formerly enslaved African-Americans, worked under harsh conditions to lay tracks, transforming a once-quiet landscape into a hub of industry. The Transcontinental Railroad contributed to massive growth in the cattle industry but also instigated new land conflicts with Native tribes and contributed to the extinction of the buffalo.  After watching the videos in this gallery, students will create a museum exhibit to celebrate the anniversary of the American Transcontinental Railroad, which turned 150 in 2019. In their exhibitions, students will demonstrate the transformative impacts of this technological achievement.

After the Civil War ended, hundreds of thousands of immigrants poured into America's growing cities. Tensions emerged between immigrants and native-born Americans, who believed they knew how Americans should behave. Temperance movements began to grow. Learning Objective Students will: Identify and analyze different viewpoints on immigration and alcohol Discuss Americans’ concerns over immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and identify how these concerns became linked with the use of alcohol.