Primarily, iron was used to make weaponry and hand tools in the Middle Colonies. These colonies were involved in the shipbuilding and lumber industries, so they needed tools to do their work, and weapons to protect their investments. Of course, weapons and tools made of iron were also needed for thousands of other everyday applications. This central region of the 13 colonies later became Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York, once they wrung free of British rule during the American Revolution.
Middle Colonies Men Made Their Own Iron
• Iron would be created by more primitive methods than it is nowadays; today, iron is made in modern foundries equipped with modern technology. Instead of gleaming new factories, the iron would be made in bloomery furnaces. These furnaces use a direct reduction process to smelt the metal.
• Proper temperatures would need to be carefully maintained, as the process changes when temperatures are too high. In fact, cast iron is created, instead of basic iron, when the furnaces run too hot.
• A blacksmith would shape the iron while it is piping hot, creating basic shapes that were used to create weapons, tools, and other essential Middle Colonies items. Usually, men were the only ones creating iron during these times in history. However, men and women now smelt iron in modern foundries.
Learning more about iron production in the Middle Colonies may be as easy as taking a trip to the local library, where there are plenty of history books that describe the life and times of Middle Colonies Americans. Searching Google for historical fiction set in this era can also be a great way to familiarize yourself with this unique period of American history. For thousands of year, iron has been a vital metal used in many different societies; in the Middle Colonies, it provided weapons to fight enemies, and tools to build a better life.
Middle Colonies Men Made Their Own Iron
• Iron would be created by more primitive methods than it is nowadays; today, iron is made in modern foundries equipped with modern technology. Instead of gleaming new factories, the iron would be made in bloomery furnaces. These furnaces use a direct reduction process to smelt the metal.
• Proper temperatures would need to be carefully maintained, as the process changes when temperatures are too high. In fact, cast iron is created, instead of basic iron, when the furnaces run too hot.
• A blacksmith would shape the iron while it is piping hot, creating basic shapes that were used to create weapons, tools, and other essential Middle Colonies items. Usually, men were the only ones creating iron during these times in history. However, men and women now smelt iron in modern foundries.
Learning more about iron production in the Middle Colonies may be as easy as taking a trip to the local library, where there are plenty of history books that describe the life and times of Middle Colonies Americans. Searching Google for historical fiction set in this era can also be a great way to familiarize yourself with this unique period of American history. For thousands of year, iron has been a vital metal used in many different societies; in the Middle Colonies, it provided weapons to fight enemies, and tools to build a better life.
