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Essay on Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen E. Ambrose

Decent Essays

Nothing like it in the Word, by Stephen E. Ambrose
The book, Nothing like It in the Word: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869, by Stephen E. Ambrose, is a concise account of the endeavors of individuals who participated in the construction of the first American transcontinental railroad (1863-1869), such as the immigrant laborers, politicians, and businesspersons and their companies. In his descriptions, Ambrose demonstrates two of the significant themes that dominated the construction activities. These are immigration and race relationship. This paper aims at describing the relationship between the two themes as described in Ambrose’s book and the American history during that time. It also looks into how the themes …show more content…

Lastly, they were not well compensated. The CPR paid the Chinese immigrants only $27 per month, while the UPR paid $35 to the Irish immigrants (Ambrose 302). This was very little compared to the amount paid to the white workers.
The theme of race relations is also significant in Ambrose’s book. For instance, the book indicates incidences of poor race relation between the Irish and the Chinese immigrants. They often reacted to each other with hostility. For examples, he describes that the Irish scorned the Chinese immigrants and sometimes attacked them with pick handles. They also frequently ambushed the Chinese laborers with heavy powder that badly injured the Chinese. The Chinese also fought back by setting off unexpected explosion that buried some Irishmen (Ambrose 327). This reflected the entrenched racism between the two groups.
There was also hostile reaction of the Native Americans towards the immigrants. The Native Americans believed the railroad posed threat to their existence, since it would displace them from their lands against the treaties they sighed with the government. They constantly attacked the laborers who were constructing the railroad. For example, The Chinese immigrants experienced worse racial discrimination during the work. For instance, the California law from getting full citizenship prohibited them, yet they were forced to pay tax. The Irish immigrants also faced hostile reception by the native race.

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