Defining Moments The muckrakers and the progressive era
Laurie Collier Hillstrom
P.O. Box 31-1640 Detroit, MI 48231
Table of Contents
Preface ...... ix How to Use This Book ...... xiii Research Topics for The Muckrakers and the Progressive Era ...... xv
NARRATIVE OVERVIEW Prologue ...... 3 Chapter One: Events Leading Up to the Progressive Era ...... 7 Chapter Two: The Role of Journalism in America ...... 21 Chapter Three: Addressing Social Problems ...... 35 Chapter Four: Battling the Titans of Industry ...... 51 Chapter Five: Exposing Government Corruption ...... 69 Chapter Six: The Muckraking Tradition Continues ...... 85 Chapter Seven: Legacy of the Progressive Era ...... 103
BIOGRAPHIES Ray Stannard Baker (1870-1946) ...... 115 Journalist and Author of Following the Color Line S.S. McClure (1857-1949) ...... 119 Progressive Owner and Editor of McClure’s Magazine David Graham Phillips (1867-1911) ...... 124 Journalist Who Wrote the “Treason of the Senate” Series
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Defining Moments: The Muckrakers and the Progressive Era
Jacob Riis (1849-1914) ...... 128 Photographer and Author of How the Other Half Lives John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) ...... 132 Industrial Tycoon, Philanthropist, and Major Target of the Muckrakers Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) ...... 137 President of the United States, 1901-1909 Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) ...... 142 Journalist, Political Leader, and Author of The Jungle Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936) ...... 148 Journalist and Author of The Shame of the Cities Ida M. Tarbell (1857-1944) ...... 152 Journalist and Author of The History of the Standard Oil Company
PRIMARY SOURCES President Theodore Roosevelt Promises Progressive Reform ...... 159 Jacob Riis Chronicles the Struggles of the Urban Poor ...... 165 John Spargo Describes the Tragedy of Child Labor ...... 170 Ida Tarbell Investigates the Standard Oil Trust ...... 173 Upton Sinclair Exposes Problems in the Meatpacking Industry ...... 178 Lincoln Steffens Reveals the Shame of the Cities ...... 182 David Graham Phillips Blasts Corrupt U.S. Senators ...... 188 Roosevelt Calls Crusading Journalists “Muckrakers” ...... 192 The Washington Post Gives Wounded Veterans a Voice ...... 197 Pete Hamill Explains the Importance of Investigative Journalism ...... 206 Modern-Day Muckrakers Face Major Challenges ...... 212 vi
Table of Contents
Important People, Places, and Terms ...... 219 Chronology ...... 225 Sources for Further Study ...... 233 Bibliography ...... 235 Photo and Illustration Credits ...... 239 Index ...... 241
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