What Really Happened During the Industrial Revolution by: Brianna Taylor Would you like to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, for little or no pay? While this may seem unreal to us today, this is what American workers had to endure during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Not only adults worked, but also three-year-olds. Now you look at it and think what could a three year old have done? When the people who ran the factories simply saw it as smaller hands doing things an adult couldn't do. Looking back at the Industrial Revolution I have four main reasons why the Industrial Revolution was more of a hindrance than a help to American workers: These reasons include working conditions, child labor, long-term effects, and overpopulation. The Industrial Revolution lasted from about 1870 to 1900 (Collier page 9). The Industrial Revolution was a time when new technologies were produced and people began working to make those products. During this time many inventions were developed that made work easier and form the basis for the things we have now. Inventions such as the cotton gin, the telephone and the steam engine. The major development that helped bring the Industrial Revolution to America was the transcontinental railroad. The railroad helped us transport products across the country and marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in America. The Industrial Revolution helped introduce the idea of ​​people working to produce products and the idea of ​​developing new technologies to make work easier. The Industrial Revolution also helped produce automobiles and cell phones; these things took time to become what they are now, but they began in this period. While all of this seemed positive, there were many negative effects… mid-paper… they were quite negative for the working class. People were just happy to have a job and earn the small amount of money they made. I think these problems could have been solved if people didn't work so long and if they were paid more. If working conditions in workplaces were better, illnesses and physical deformities would not be a problem. If the conditions, not only for working but for living, were better, I think the problems I see with the Industrial Revolution could be solved. In my opinion, labor laws should have regulated the age of children and the duration of their work. If this happened the children could be educated and have time to play. As children they shouldn't work like this. Overall, the obstacles that the working class in America had to overcome just to live and support their families were unfair and should have been better.