Jobs in 1860 and Today

 
1. Today you are going to explore how life in the mid-19th century was different from life today. You probably already know a lot about this subject. In the space below, write down a few ways that life today and life 140 years ago were different. Think about things people owned, how they traveled, etc.

 

 

 

 

 
2. An important part of people's lives is the work they do. Make a list of about 10 jobs that are common today.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

3. Your teacher has given you a list of jobs that people had in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1860. Look at that list now.

4. In the space below, write down at least seven of the jobs that you have never heard of before. Look them up in a dictionary, and write their definitions as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
5. In the space below, write down all of the jobs that are uncommon now. For each job that you write down, give reasons for the job's being less common now than before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
6. Which catetories of jobs (professional and merchants, farmers and planters, clerks and proprietors, artisans, unskilled, or female occupations) have changed the most? the least?

 

 

 

 
7. Can you think of any jobs that people have now that might not exist one hundred years from now? Give reasons for your answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

This material was developed by Alice Carter for the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education.