
A stark, documentary‑style portrait of mid‑nineteenth‑century Britain, this work draws on official records and vivid illustrations to lay bare the grinding poverty and forced labor endured by countless workers. From the cramped workhouses of England to the harsh conditions in Irish farms and colonial outposts, the author assembles testimonies that reveal how legal and social structures keep the poor in a state of near‑slavery.
The narrative contrasts this oppression with the promise of America, portraying the United States as a refuge where displaced families might finally taste genuine liberty. By quoting contemporary British voices and reformers, the book makes a compelling case that entrenched institutions—primogeniture, land tenure, and restrictive labor laws—must be overhauled if any hope of relief remains. It offers a vivid, urgent look at a society on the brink of upheaval, inviting listeners to reflect on the human cost of unchecked power.
Language
en
Duration
~15 hours (918K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Brian Coe, Christian Boissonnas and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Release date
2016-06-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects