Introduction

In the past, all work was done by people. People made everything by hand, even tools that they used. Around three hundred years ago, that began to change. Scientists and inventors started building machines that were used to do work that was earlier done by people. This process of building and using machines to do work that in the past people had to do by hand is called industrialization. 

The invention of machines changed how people worked. Some jobs became less needed because machines did what people used to do. For example, there were shoemakers in nearly every town, city, and village in the past. Shoemakers made new shoes and fixed old broken shoes. Everyone needed their services because people needed shoes to wear every day. Today, most shoes are made in factories and many people buy new shoes when their old shoes break, so much fewer shoemakers are needed.  

Other jobs were created because machines created new needs. There were workers needed to operate machines, to fix them when they broke, or to supply fuel for machines to work. For example, think about cars. Before cars were invented, we did not need car mechanics, drivers, or gas station workers because we did not even need gas stations. We also did not need as many roads, which are built by workers who use materials that are supplied by other workers.

In this activity, you will look at five black and white photos that show how machines changed what workers did in the past. They will help us understand how industrialization created new needs and new jobs even if machines made some jobs less needed.  

Note for educators: Some photos used in this activity document obsolete technology that will likely be unrecognizable to students. We recommend using this activity in class rather and as a homework assignment unless relevant background information is provided prior to assigning this activity to students.