The Industrial Revolution

Could you imagine working for as long as 18 hours a day, six days a week? How about in 80 degree weather, doing tedious and often dangerous work? To make matters worse, what would it be like to be constantly hungry and tired, knowing that you would face harsh and hurtful punishments if you didn't meet the demands? During much of the Industrial revolution, this scenario was the norm for men, women, and children of the working class. The pay was barely enough to live on, and the workers returned home to crowded and unsanitary apartments, overflowing with disease. Although various government reform programs later made work and life a little bit nicer for the people, it still wasn't paradise. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens wrote, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." During the early part of the Industrial Revolution, workers only saw the worst. However, later on they began to see better.…