Final answer:
Life was difficult for many Americans after the Civil War, with the shift to factory work creating inequality and tough conditions, widespread child labor, and high infant mortality rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evidence that life was really hard for most Americans in the decades after the Civil War includes the fact that families were forced into a factory wage system, leading to profound inequalities and struggles for survival.
The shift from a majority of Americans being self-employed to working for others meant less autonomy and often deplorable conditions in factories.
Moreover, child labor was prevalent, with children suffering workplace injuries at twice the rate of adults, and effectively cheapening labor costs for industrialists.
The grim statistic that D."More than one in ten babies never lived to see their first birthday" illustrates the harsh realities of life at the time, as infant mortality rates are a telling indicator of a population's general health and socioeconomic status.