Read the following excerpt from The Jungle and answer the corresponding question in 3-5 sentences:

Question

There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit. ... There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it. It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats.

What is Upton Sinclair describing in this quote? How did this have an impact on the American people and laws?

Answer 1

Upton Sinclair is describing the unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry in this quote, specifically the storage areas where meat was kept. The presence of dirt, sawdust, leaky roofs, and rats in these areas highlights the lack of hygiene and cleanliness. This quote shocked the American people who read The Jungle, as it exposed the unregulated and unhealthy practices in the industry. It led to public outcry and pressured the government to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906, marking the beginning of federal food regulation in the United States.