MUCKRAKERS OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Read the following excerpts written by early 20th century muckrakers and complete the questions
following each.
Textbook pg 212
Witness History-Children in the Coal Mines by John Spargo, The Bitter Cry of the Children,
1906
Question: Why were children allowed to work at dangerous jobs, such as mining?
Textbook: pp 214-215
Exposing How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis
Question: What do Riis's images reveal about the conditions of city slums?
Textbook: pg 220
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Questions:
1) Describe the author's style in this excerpt.
2) How does Sinclair's way of writing boost his credibility?
Worksheet: Link to Literature-The Octopus by Frank Norris
Questions:
1) Why is Dyke upset with the railroad?
2) Why is Dyke afraid that he will lose his money and his house?
3) Draw Inferences: The railroad clerk tells Dyke that he isn't forced to ship his goods on the
Southern Pacific Railroad. Yet why might Dyke have little or no choice but to ship his goods on
the Southern Pacific Railroad?
4) Apply Information. How does this passage reflect the concerns of the Progressive Era?
The History of Standard Oil by Ida Tarbell, 1904
Written by journalist Ida Tarbell in 1904, The History of the Standard Oil Company was an exposé
of the Standard Oil Company, run at that time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure
in America's history. Originally serialized in 19 parts in McClure's magazine, the book was a
seminal example of muckraking (known today as "investigative journalism") and inspired many
other journalists to write about trusts. Trusts were large businesses that (in the absence of strong
antitrust law in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries. The History of
the Standard Oil Company was credited with hastening the breakup of Standard Oil, which came
about in 1911.
Book Excerpt:
Mr. Rockefeller said, “. . . Let us become the nucleus of a private company which gradually shall
acquire control of all refineries everywhere, become the only shippers, and consequently the master of
the railroads in the matter of freight rates." It was six hours before the gentlemen in conference left the
pavilion, and when they came out Mr. Warden and Mr. Lockhart had agreed to transfer their refineries
in Philadelphia and Pittsburg to the Standard Oil Company, of Cleveland, taking stock in exchange.
They had also agreed to absorb, as rapidly as persuasion or other means could bring it about, the
refineries in their neighbourhood. Their union with the Standard was to remain an absolute secret —
the concerns operating under their respective names.
Question:
Why were trusts considered a problem for society as a whole?