Muckrakers in the 20th Century
Muckraking, or investigative journalism, as it was called, brought along a new Era of writing. Famous writer's like, Ida tarbell; Lincoln Steffens; and Upton Sinclair, "raked" in articles and books that changed history and the way people looked at society and politics. These Americans brought the people the real truth, the truth that needed to be revieled in order to make nessecary reforms that Americans take for granted today. The Oxford Dictionary states: a "muckraker" is one who is drawn to depraved interest in what is morally 'unsavory' or scandalous. Investigative reporting began almost unconsciously with Ida Tarbell's, "History of the Standard Oil Company published in "McClure's magazine during the early 1900's. This article depicted the illegal means by with John D. Rockefeller used to monopolize Oil companies all over the United States. Lincoln Steffen's, another notable muckraker of that time period, followed in Ida Tarbell's footsteps with the publication of The Shame of the Cities. There were mixed reactions across the nation following these exposes. George Washington Plunkitt, a prominent political leader and involved in scandulous activities, claims that Steffens "...gets mixed up! He'll make a fatal mistake...He
doesn't know the difference between good graft and bad graft." Tarbell and Steffens caused a stir in the country that made other journalists and ordinary people question the government's trustworthiness. 1 "He turned up a rock, so to speak, and found under it a variety of forms of civic evil, normally hidden from the light of day or simply ignored." (Smith 74) These two principal journalists of the eary 20th century lead America into an age of questioning and changed the mentality of journalists throughout the nation. "I never knew a writer who made sucj a labor of writing, he seemed to hate it," as was said by "American Magazine," of Lincoln Steffens (Smith 80). So what coerced him to write for the people? The Shame of the Cities was Steffens' most famouse work. "Oh I know! You are the man that believes in honesty," said the disreputable lawyer, Clarence Dow. Unlike Steffen' foil, the lawyer and various political leaders, muckrakers were honest and truthful about their work. Perhaps the muckrakers were the ones who held up the nations morale throughout the early 20th century. things...men with muck-rakes are often indispensable to the well-being of the society, but only if they know when to stop raking the muck" (412). These journalists often created a civil war between good and evil, the people and the government; a war of words. Another remarkable writer, Upton Sinclair, changed history as it was known in the 1900's by his famous novel, The Jungle. This novelist and socialists "slapped the world in the face," so to speak, and brought everyone to realization of the atrocities in the meatpacking industries of Chicago. It provoked public offense and led
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1128
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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