Immigrant families came to America in search of new opportunities through the idea that America was a place to prosper-possibly become wealthy-and provide a better life for their families. "It was Jonas who suggested that they all go to America, where a friend of his had gotten rich. He would work for his part, and the women would work, and some of the children, doubtless- they would live somehow."(Sinclair 22) Every Immigrant who came to America believed that America was the land of opportunity. Between the years nineteen hundred and

Through the fighting and suffering of the early century immigrants of the progressive era we now have many laws and regulations that we all take for granted today. Sinclair through his writings in The Jungle has showed us that through the lives of Immigrant families what we may have had to live with if they did not go through the turmoil of capitalistic big business. The laws and regulations set as a result of the suffrage in the progressive era and Sinclair's muckraking make our lives much more enjoyable and healthier. Just imagine without the changes of early nineteenth century progressivism we to could be working eighty- four hour work- weeks and having diseased rats and meat for dinner.

Capitalism was the way the businesses worked in which the companies would reap all of the profits while only paying the workers the bare minimum. The business controlled the economy and through social Darwinism or "survival of the fittest" the only people making any money were the business owners. Sinclair often refers to his trust in socialism and dislike of capitalism as a way of lowering the impact of social Darwinism and bring the economy back to the government and the government back to the people. The debate of the capitalistic ways of the companies lead to many violent strikes that lead to distress between companies and its workers.

The FIC not only helped out the women at the turn of the century but also made the lives of many children better. The children before the time of the FIC also had many hardships to deal with. Although being illegal for children under the age of sixteen to work many families in order to survive in the industrial jungle of America. Immigrant families often lied about their children's age to get them out of schools and into the workplace. "The law made no difference except that it forced people to lie about the ages of their children."(Sinclair 68) This was often necessary for families to put their chi

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1310
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)