Answer:
To affirm something is to give it a big "YES" or to confirm that it is true.
Explanation:
The verb affirm means to answer positively, but it has a more weighty meaning in legal circles. People are asked to swear an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth in a court of law.
It's gotta be James Blaine.
Children Had to Work
many people lost their Jobs because of new machines
Therefore they Had to move to the big cities to find work in the new factories where they Had to do monotonous and Boring Work(e.g. Control the machines)
This Work was badly paid
The cities were dirty and the Apartments often very small
But
New machines that Made Life easier ( staem engines)