Isabella Pelaez

Social Studies
800
Raking away the Corruption
Introducing the Muckrakers
I intend to do what little one man can do to awaken the public conscience, and in the
meantime I am not frightened by your meances - Upton Sinclair. The pen is sometimes more
mightier than the sword. This was true to many people and amongst these people were
muckrakers. Some chose to fight their battles physically and others chose to stand up for what
they believed in by writing words on paper. Personally writing is sometimes the best way
because there are a lot less casualties and it may be easier to convince people. Similar to
propaganda muckrakers tried to prove a point and to do this they did deep undercover research.
In propaganda you use commonly images to get your point across.
The dictionaries definition of a muckraker is an American journalists who wrote largely
for all popular magazines. The modern term is investigative journalism, and investigative
journalists today are often informally called "muckrakers." To me a muckraker is a journalist
who exposes the corrupt things that are hidden from the citizens that could affect their lives
greatly. Many people like rockefeller were interested in gaining wealth and not caring how they
did so is what lead them to being exposed. At the same time muckrakers were also very
respectful and mindful of the job whereas today people just spread rumors and emphasize greatly
about something that they don't deeply investigate so much as trying to get the best story. Like on
some TV shows people take pictures of celebrities and makeup things. There were so many
significant muckrakers and they all wrote great pieces that are still quite famous today. Some

very important muckrakers were Ida Tarbell, Ida B. Wells, Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair.

All of these muckrakers were very important because they all took part in the industrial
revolution, exposing all the great monopolist and the corruption that no one knew of. Imagine
life less than a hundred years ago if muckrakers didn't do the jobs they did. People would end up
being lied to their entire lives. Something we all think is real and amazing is just one big fat lie.

1 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/rockefellers-tarbell/
http://www.biography.com/people/ida-tarbell-9502126

In 1902, Ida Tarbell wrote about the very rich John D. Rockefeller who gained his wealth
by running the first standard oil company. Ida Tarbell was born in Erie County, Pennsylvania.
She took a great interest
in exposing the
corruptness of John D.
Rockefeller. What
started off as a 3-part
series turned out to be a 19-part series. Ida Tarbells writing piece took part in the 1911
dismantling of the Standard oil Company.This was just one of the many pieces written by
muckrakers that had a big influence. Later on you will read about the different pieces a few
muckrakers wrote. All in all, Muckrakers had a great deal of work, when exposing the many
monopolies and corrupt things that were being done. A quote from the book Ida Tarbell wrote
about the corruptness of John D. Rockefeller is Rockefeller and his associates did not build the
Standard Oil Co. in the board rooms of Wall Street banks. They fought their way to control by
rebate and drawback, bribe and blackmail, espionage and price cutting, by ruthless efficiency of
organization. This quote shows that Ida Tarbell was aware of the fact the Rockefeller built his
whole incorporation with corruption and blackmailing.

Ida Tarbell
Ida Tarbell decided to learn about the standard oil company after her father was troubled
while working there. She thought the the Rockefellers never played fair. A hidden agreement
between the railroads and refiners led by John D. Rockefeller, hit pennsylvania really hard and
affected the Tarbell's Greatly. she knew something was wrong and what better way to reveal who

the real John Rockefeller is than to expose his company from the inside and that is exactly what
she did. Ida Tarbell wrote deeply about John D. Rockefeller about his corrupt tactics but she gave
him credit for his great vast, flawless business in which he was able to make a great deal of
money before it completely collapsed.
Many people saw Ida Tarbell as a role model, someone to look up to and admire but she
would never accept the title, she thought of herself of a journalist, nothing more, nothing less and
that was good enough for
Tarbell to accept.

Upton Sinclair
Another very important muckraker was Upton Sinclair. Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore.
Upton Sinclair like Ida Tarbell took part in exposing the monopolist. Upton Sinclair wrote about
the work conditions inside the meatpacking industry. In his article he wrote a shocking expose of
the unsanitary and dangerous conditions in the plants. What Upton Sinclair discovered in the
meatpacking district is sickening and just talking about it could make someone want to become a
vegetarian. The industry was infested with rats and the germs of the workers. The work
conditions were very poor, pipes leaking into the meat, expired, mouldy meat made again filled
with chemicals and wrapped up again to be consumed by a family all because no one knew what
was inside of the meat packing and they trusted that what they were being fed/ sold was a good
choice for them and their families. Since so many people were eating this very unsanitary meat,

many foodborne diseases spread such as infections, including typhoid fever, tuberculosis,
botulism, and scarlet fever. Upton Sinclairs writing had such a big impact not only on the public
but on President Theodore Roosevelt which made him pass many food safety laws.h
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair turned the stomachs of those who read it. A quotes from
Upton Sinclairs Jungle They had chains which they fastened about the leg of the nearest hog,
and the other end of the chain they hooked into one of the rings upon the wheel. So, as the wheel
turned, a hog was suddenly jerked off his feet and borne aloft. At the same instant the ear was
assailed by a most terrifying shriek; the visitors started in alarm, the women turned pale and
shrank back. The shriek was followed by another, louder and yet more agonizing--for once
started upon that journey, the hog never came back; at the top of the wheel he was shunted off
upon a trolley and went sailing down the room. And meantime another was swung up, and then
another, and another, until there was a double line of them, each dangling by a foot and kicking
in frenzy--and squealing. The uproar was appalling, perilous to the eardrums; one feared there
was too much sound for the room to hold--that the walls must give way or the ceiling crack.
This quotes shows how horrid a scene it was. This quote really describes in detail what you
would see if you happened to work their or for you to get a good picture of what you eat.
Imagine not knowing the work conditions of the meatpacking district people would still be eating
the liquid covered meat. And working in rodent infested places.
His Writing
Upton Sinclair had very vivid descriptions and for this, it changed the way many people
2

shopped for food. Upton Sinclair went undercover in the meatpacking industry for several

weeks, gathering information. From his research he wrote about the sanitation of the workplace
2 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4840a1.htm

and how the animals were treated with cruelty. Initially, the publishers refused to publish the
story but they soon changed their minds. The Jungle became a bestseller. Public awareness
quickly came after The Jungle was published by Upton Sinclair in 1906.

Lincoln Steffen
Another very important muckraker at the time was Lincoln Steffens. He too wrote great stories
about the hidden things in

life

that were far too

embarrassing for the
government to admit.
Lincoln Steffens was born
April 6, 1866, San Francisco,
CA. Lincoln Steffens
strongest piece of work was exposing the government corruption. In the book written by Lincoln
Steffens called The Shame of the Cities, he exposed the governments in several cities which
were Chicago, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York. In his book, he
interviewed many people, reformers, politicians, crooks and editors. In his multiple stories, he
mention each city, and how the government was hiding things. For example, according to The
scale of their operation was vast, Steffens reported: "In St. Louis the regularly organized thieves
who rule have sold $50,000,000 worth of franchises and other valuable municipal assets. This
quote shows that many thieves were stealing money, $50 million on a regular and the
government has done nothing to stop this or to prevent it from happening. If they wont do it,
who will? Power is what men seek and any group that gets it will abuse it. This quote from
Lincoln Steffens shows that overall, what we all wish to seek is power and once we have reached

it, we will abuse it as much as we can. The only way to stop the abusement of those with high
power is to fight fire with fire in a way. Use all the bad things they have done against them.
The different Muckrakers at the Time
There were so many muckrakers during this time period and they each contributed great
stories exposing the many things in life that are unknown to the public and which the
government tries to keep hush but is nearly impossible because of the muckrakers and their
undercover work. Each story that the, muckrakers wrote was not only one story. Each story had
its own chapter, one reason less to trust the government and their pesky ways. One reason not to
support people who like to abide the power they have. Some people earn the power they receive
not to say that men like Rockefeller don't deserve any credit because he did dedicate a lot of time
into making deals with the trains and making much money and becoming one of the most
successful businessmen of his time but the way they made their wealth was sort of built on a lie.
What They Had in Common
One thing all these muckrakers had in common was the intensity they put into
researching. Every topic was researched to its fullest potential. When upton sinclair wrote about
the meatpacking district,he was in there for weeks, inspecting every corner making sure he didnt
miss a detail, even the slightest one that can turn any ordinary things into a juicy story waiting to
explode in the face of those who have done corrupt things. Another thing that all muckrakers had
in common was that they all wrote stories about things that they were fascinated with. One thing
that I found very important was that all work was done thoroughly and if someone started a pair,
they would end it. The topics that muckrakers wrote about were usually topics with a lot of
information and things that could be written for long periods of time.
Their Importance

Muckrakers were very important people. Not because they wrote about corruption but
how they did it. It was like they were slowly but surely exposing these highly ranked and
businesses. Muckrakers had to be very careful about the information they put. Some muckrakers
were quite respectful while writing and slowly uncovering these men. In the midst of Ida Tarbell
writing about John D rockefeller, she mentioned how greatly she thought of his work and how
much he had accomplished with one idea. I found this very surprising considering that he job of
a muckraker is take away the dirt that a lot of these men have. One thing that I always wondered
is what did some of these men do/ how did they hide from many people what they were doing?
Which guy me to thinking, how did muckrakers learn about things like this and how did they
know how to pick the right story?
What Lead Muckrakers to writing?
Muckrakers all have a reason for writing what they write about, whether it is something
they like or if it is a situation that has hurt their family. The reason why Ida Tarbell chose to write
about John D. Rockefeller was because when his standard oil company was at its highest, Ida
Tarbells dad had a job in the factory but was soon greatly affected leaving the Tarbells at an all
time low!
Ida B. Wells was another famous muckraker because she wrote about the civil rights
movement. Ida B. Wells was a black women fighting for the rights of white men. If he couldnt
be heard physically she would make a loud statement on paper. Having lost my paper, had a
price put on my life, and been made an exile from home for hinting at the truth , I felt I owed it
to myself and to my race to tell the whole truth. - Ida B. Wells.

Conclusion

All in all, muckrakers played a big role in their time period. They help the citizens
uncover things they didn't know occurred. Helped the world become a better place in a way
because for example, people that worked in the meatpacking district worked in horrible working
conditions for minimum wage. Another example was for those who worked for John D.
Rockefeller in the standard oil company similarly working for minimum wage and being forced
into labor. Muckrakers in a way allowed a light to shine on those who had to work very hard for
a company that was very corrupt.