For many years after the first steam- or water-powered machines were installed in English textile factories in the second half of the eighteenth century, most government leaders believed they had no legitimate business interfering with private individuals conducting their business.

But as the nineteenth century wore on, evidence mounted that many workers, especially children, were being abused in factories by being forced to work long hours for low pay and under dangerous, unhealthy conditions. Slowly, advocates of workers' rights succeeded in passing laws...