The Road to the Frontier:The Pacific Railroad and The Empire-Inclusive United States
This article argues that the story of"The Road to Empire may be employed to respond to the perenni-al issue of whether the United States is an empire or not.By calling the Pacific Railway"The Road to Empire"in the 19th century,the American elites actively absorbed the political,economic and cultural traditions of the Brit-ish Empire in the process of its westward border movement.The Pacific Railway became the physical epitome of"The Road to Empire"not only because of its multiple functions,but also because of the actual needs of the state and society of America.As a result,the western frontier was transformed from"free land"to"the great west".The deep connection between the"new nation"and the"old empire"made the United States a semblance of a"settlers'empire",and the Pacific Railway became the ideal carrier of imperial expansion and the technical basis of imperial ruling.In light of this,we can better interpret the fate of the Chinese railway workers.Given that its institutional structure,behavior pattern and ideology are inherited from the"old empire",the United States can be said to be an"empire-inclusive state".By revisiting the question of the empire status of America in history,we may also be able to explore the possibilities of its present and future order.
Pacific RailroadAmericaempireChinese laborersAmerican Indian
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