In general, workers in nineteenth-century England slowly gained both political power and better working conditions. Step by step, act by act, England whittled away at the old laissez faire doctrine and improved life for her working citizens: no children under ten could work, women and children were limited to a ten-hour day, safety inspections were introduced in factories, and many others. England had provided many benefits for laboring people before many in the United States recognized a social crisis existed.
