Question
Who were prominent muckrakers and what areas did they help reform? (slide 4)
only use this to answer The Gilded Age was marked by a rise in fortunes for factory owners. It also led to record poverty for most American workers. The wealthy and powerful preyed on the poor and weak. Poor workers worked long hours in dangerous conditions. Many of the issues created in the Gilded Age were exposed in articles and books written by muckrakers. Muckraker was a term for investigative journalists of the time. They wrote about issues like unsanitary and unsafe conditions in factories and mills. These journalists brought the plight of workers, violence against African Americans, and corruption in politics to the attention of the American public.
The Progressive Era produced a number of prominent muckrakers. Ida Tarbell was an investigative journalist known for her work exposing the unfair business practices of the Standard Oil Company. Jacob Riis revealed the harsh reality of life in New York’s slums through photographs in his book How the Other Half Lives. Lincoln Steffens was an investigative journalist known for his work uncovering political corruption. Steffens wrote a series of articles called The Shame of the Cities. The articles uncovered unethical political practices in major American cities. Steffens wrote about corrupt dealings between big business owners and political leaders. Business owners bribed elected officials to attain lucrative deals for their companies at the expense of the public good. Upton Sinclair was an American writer known for his novel The Jungle. His book highlighted unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the meatpacking industry. Muckrakers brought these and many other issues into the public eye, and Americans began to demand change.
Writers and leaders who influenced their cultures were also known as intellectuals. They studied and reflected on the problems of the time and provided ideas and actions for improving them. People such as Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, and W. E. B. Du Bois fit into this category.
only use this to answer The Gilded Age was marked by a rise in fortunes for factory owners. It also led to record poverty for most American workers. The wealthy and powerful preyed on the poor and weak. Poor workers worked long hours in dangerous conditions. Many of the issues created in the Gilded Age were exposed in articles and books written by muckrakers. Muckraker was a term for investigative journalists of the time. They wrote about issues like unsanitary and unsafe conditions in factories and mills. These journalists brought the plight of workers, violence against African Americans, and corruption in politics to the attention of the American public.
The Progressive Era produced a number of prominent muckrakers. Ida Tarbell was an investigative journalist known for her work exposing the unfair business practices of the Standard Oil Company. Jacob Riis revealed the harsh reality of life in New York’s slums through photographs in his book How the Other Half Lives. Lincoln Steffens was an investigative journalist known for his work uncovering political corruption. Steffens wrote a series of articles called The Shame of the Cities. The articles uncovered unethical political practices in major American cities. Steffens wrote about corrupt dealings between big business owners and political leaders. Business owners bribed elected officials to attain lucrative deals for their companies at the expense of the public good. Upton Sinclair was an American writer known for his novel The Jungle. His book highlighted unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the meatpacking industry. Muckrakers brought these and many other issues into the public eye, and Americans began to demand change.
Writers and leaders who influenced their cultures were also known as intellectuals. They studied and reflected on the problems of the time and provided ideas and actions for improving them. People such as Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, and W. E. B. Du Bois fit into this category.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Prominent muckrakers of the Progressive Era included:
1. **Ida Tarbell**: Known for her exposé of the unfair business practices of the Standard Oil Company, highlighting monopolistic tactics and the need for regulatory reform in the oil industry.
2. **Jacob Riis**: His work in *How the Other Half Lives* used photographs and narratives to reveal the dire conditions of life in New York’s slums, advocating for social reforms in urban housing and living conditions.
3. **Lincoln Steffens**: Through his series *The Shame of the Cities*, he uncovered political corruption in major American cities, bringing attention to unethical practices between big business and political leaders, thus pushing for political reform.
4. **Upton Sinclair**: His novel *The Jungle* exposed unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to calls for food safety regulations and reforms.
These muckrakers played a pivotal role in exposing social injustices and corruption, prompting public demand for comprehensive reforms in labor, housing, politics, and industry during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
1. **Ida Tarbell**: Known for her exposé of the unfair business practices of the Standard Oil Company, highlighting monopolistic tactics and the need for regulatory reform in the oil industry.
2. **Jacob Riis**: His work in *How the Other Half Lives* used photographs and narratives to reveal the dire conditions of life in New York’s slums, advocating for social reforms in urban housing and living conditions.
3. **Lincoln Steffens**: Through his series *The Shame of the Cities*, he uncovered political corruption in major American cities, bringing attention to unethical practices between big business and political leaders, thus pushing for political reform.
4. **Upton Sinclair**: His novel *The Jungle* exposed unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to calls for food safety regulations and reforms.
These muckrakers played a pivotal role in exposing social injustices and corruption, prompting public demand for comprehensive reforms in labor, housing, politics, and industry during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.