during the late-nineteenth century industrialization changed the way Americans lived and worked. Working conditions were terrible, some people in factories sometimes even had to work with dangerous chemicals and toxins.
Working conditions shifted unbearable during the industrialization period, with long times, serious restrictions, and few (if any) actual benefits being the average. This is what began to books like "This Jungle" and the stories of muckraking reporters, as a way of showing this level of crime and risk.
Horseback was still the fastest way over short distances on roads, but there was a well-established railway network in much of Europe and the United States. Steamboats were the fastest way to cross the water.
