Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Going to Work in the 1800s
Prior to the 1800s, many people were farmers. Most people lived in the country or in small towns. Then, in the mid-1800s, that began to change. New jobs opened up, and people flocked to the cities.
What kind of jobs did people find in the cities? Beginning with people of England in the 1800s, many of them found work in factories. This increase in city residents created a need for even more goods and services and opened up additional jobs. Other workers provided the materials needed to keep the factories operating.
Miners were the backbone of the 19th century economic system. Their back-breaking labor produced the coal that powered the factories. The miners also obtained iron ore for the foundries.
The iron foundries attracted other hardy workers. In the 19th century ironworks, men earned their living day in and day out in the heat of the furnaces. Smelters completed the first step of extracting the iron from its ore using furnaces powered by coke, a fuel made from coal.
Other iron workers completed the next steps of shaping the iron into bars. In addition, they produced cast iron items like pots and kettles. Some iron workers worked on the expensive process of making steel from the iron. Steel was used when iron would not do, for instance in sharp cutting blades for knives.
