The History of Muckraking

892 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Politics and government during the gilded age

IIn 1903, investigative reporters named Lincoln Steffens, Ida M. Tarbell, and Ray Stannard published a series of exposés that accused powerful and influential senators of drafting legislation that benefited corporations in which they had personal financial stake. President Theodore Roosevelt felt it necessary to undercut the efforts of journalists, mainly because many of his supporters were subjects whom journalists were attacking. “During his dedication at the House of Representative’s building, Roosevelt first brought about the term “muckraker”, using it to describe investigative reporters who exposed corruption”.

The major fact concerning the American political parties between 1875 and 1900 was that the parties were evenly divided. It was typical in this era in which political corruption seemed to be accepted. Businessmen bribed public officials at the local, state and national level, and political machines turned elections into exercises in fraud and manipulation. Of particular concern was that businesses were able to influence politics by contributing or bribing officials to get lucrative business endeavors and favor toward their business. Big businesses were snuffing out little ones. The narrow division between Republican and Democratic voters made both parties hesitant to take strong stands on any issue for fear of alienating voters. The result was that little got done.

Congress was known for being mischievous and incompetent. It was not unusual to find that they could not achieve even the minimal work because too many members were drunk or preoccupied with extra-governmental affairs. The halls of Congress were filled smoke and filth. One disgusted observer noted that not only did the members chew and spit constantly, b...

... middle of paper ...

...ained a national reputation as one of the leading "muckrakers," by creating the articles in McClure’s magazine with Steffens and Tarbell. The series was popular, but Baker was not comfortable with the "muckraker" label he had gained.

Ida Tarbell was a journalist who is most famous for publishing a devastating but factual expose of the Standard oil company. Tarbell was a pioneer in investigative journalism. She was highly critical of large corporations like Standard Oil, which she felt were immoral and exploitive. Her work would eventually help to bring down the oil tycoon.

The three authors made a major impact on how the country saw how it was being run. Ineffectiveness and chaos was abundant. Nothing was being accomplished. Big businesses were squashing the little guy because they had the money to buy what they wanted and had the government to support them.

Show More
Related

  • Slavery, The Constitutional, And The Origins Of The Civil War

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...d. The Whig and Democratic parties developed as national parties, they advocated throughout the nation, regardless of the regional and sessional differences between the supporters. Due to the economic changes, it affected many of the territories in the United States. For example, the North and the Great Lakes economy, and the East-West economy was growing as well, which strengthened relations with Border States and the North. Unlike the North, the South struggled the workers and the poverty-stricken farmers felt excluded from the new exchanges that were being made by the Democrats. Both Parties battled each other over economical issues, both of the parties had supporters throughout the entire country and stayed devoted to the idea of a unified nation. Since the parties shared interest leaders from the North and South to work together and work through sectional issues.

    Read More

  • Congress The Electoral Connection David Mayhew Summary

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    The excerpt “Congress: The Electoral Connection” written by David Mayhew centers around the fundamental arguments that discusses how members of congress are self-interested for reelection. Mayhew further elaborates on his idea by discussing the electoral activities that congress members devote their time into and resource from, which are advertising, credit-claiming, and position taking. Mayhew’s excerpt further examines the framework in how congress operates which contributes to the explanation of how and why congress partakes in the certain electoral activities.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Ida Tarbell The Muckraker

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the late 1800's and early 1900's, change in American society was very evident in the economy. An extraordinary expansion of the industrial economy was taking place, presenting new forms of business organization and bringing trusts and holding companies into the national picture. The turn of the century is known as the "Great Merger Movement:" over two thousand corporations were "swallowed up" by one hundred and fifty giant holding companies.1 This powerful change in industry brought about controversy and was a source of social anxiety. How were people to deal with this great movement and understand the reasons behind the new advancements? Through the use of propaganda, the public was enlightened and the trusts were attacked. Muckraking, a term categorizing this type of journalism, began in 1903 and lasted until 1912. It uncovered the dirt of trusts and accurately voiced the public's alarm of this new form of industrial control. Ida Tarbell, a known muckraker, spearheaded this popular investigative movement.2 As a journalist, she produced one of the most detailed examinations of a monopolistic trust, The Standard Oil Company.3 Taking on a difficult responsibility and using her unique journalistic skills, Ida Tarbell was able to get to the bottom of a scheme that allowed the oil industry to be manipulated by a single man, John D. Rockefeller.

    Read More

  • Comparing Upton Sinclair's The Jungle And The Progressive Era

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the start of the 20th century, journalists had begun to play an important role in exposing wrongdoings within politics and society. These journalists, often called muckrakers, used their journalism to focus on political flaws and corruption in city governments. Several popular publishers adopted this form of journalism, which became widely popular

    Read More

  • Sectionalism And The Breakup Of The U.s

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    These parties were the federalists and the republicans. They had very few geographical divisions, and views were mixed on both sides. See the best example of this in the Maysville Road article. There was a dispute over the proposed road, and whether or not it should be built. federal money.

    Read More

  • The Inevitable Two-Party System in the U.S.

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first political parties in America began to form at the end of the 18th century. "The conflict that took shape in the 1790s between the Federalists and the Antifederalists exercised a profound impact on American history." The two primary influences, Thomas Jefferson a...

    Read More

  • George Washington's Two Political Parties

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the creation of the United States Constitution, George Washington was elected as the first president. During Washington’s two terms, two political parties emerged: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. In determining the catalyst for these parties surfacing, it is important to look at the viewpoints each group held in areas including the economy, politics, and foreign affairs. Political parties rose in the 1790s as contrasting opinions on economic plans and foreign affairs ultimately led to opposing political perspectives.

    Read More

  • Muckrakers

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    Muckraking was a powerful journalistic force, whose supporters made it become so. Muckraking was the practice of writers and critics exposing corrupt politicians and business practices. President Theodore Roosevelt made the term "muck-raker" popular. He once said

    Read More

  • The Progressive Era

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Muckrakers, journalists who exposed social, economic and political evils, controlled media and therefore had profound influence over the th...

    Read More

  • Ida Tarbell's The History Of The Standard Oil Company: John D.

    225 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ida Tarbell, one of the first "muckrakers," as they receive the name from Theodore Roosevelt, agreed that journalists should write for truth. Her landmark book “The History of the Standard Oil Company depicted the way John D. Rockefeller's Company gained a monopoly, over the oil industry. Her writing was one of the greatest serials even in the wide spreading muckraking magazines. The book made her famous and established a model for journalism that is still followed today.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Muckraking

    338 Words  | 1 Pages

    The exact definition of muckraking according to Dictionary.Com, is that muckraking ¨is to search for and expose real and alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics.¨ So with that being said, I do not agree that it is an honor to be called a ¨muckraker.”I think that muckrakers take situations too far and that they escalate certain issues that are not very important. Muckrakers have the ability to ruin peopleś lives, by bashing and criticizing them to the American people. We see muckrakers everyday, without even knowing it and if we were to pay closer attention, we would be able to recognize it more thoroughly.

    Read More

  • 1800-1850

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early into the 1800’s, president Andrew Jackson was a bit of a catalyst to the alteration of politics. Through his actions of Indian removal, confounding the nullifiers, and destroying the “Monster Bank” he had immeasurably enlarged the power of the presidency. Jackson also converted the veto into an effective presidential power. During his term, Jackson had vetoes 12 bills, compared to a collective 9 vetoes from all the previous presidents combined. Around the same time period, a new two-party system developed differing from the Democrats and the Federalists. The Jacksonian Party System was directly shaped by the social and economic strains of an expanding nation. Democrats at this time viewed society as a continuing conflict between “the people” -workers, planters, and farmers- and a group of greedy aristocrats. These greedy aristocrats were part of a “paper money aristocracy” consisting of bankers and investors who manipulated the banking system for profit. Democrats saw the Bank War as a battle to restore the old Jeffersonian republic with its values of simplicity, frugality, hard work, and independence. Jackson knew the dangers of private banking yet the Democrats wanted the rewards of the market without losin...

    Read More

  • The Evolution Of American Democracy

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...0s and 1840s Democrats and Whigs built the most completely national two–party system that Americans have ever had—both parties relied on support from all sections of the country, and both were evenly matched in most states. Within that system, politicians knew that arguments between the North and South must be avoided. Such arguments would, first of all, split the Whig and Democratic parties in which politicians were making their careers. Second, and more dangerous, the breakdown of the national two–party system could realign the parties along North–South lines and focus national politics on the differences between the North and South. Political leaders feared that such a breakdown could lead ultimately to disunion and perhaps civil war. Most historians agree that the national party system's eventual breakdown was a crucial cause of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

    Read More

  • The Populists and Progressives

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late 19th and early 20th century both the Populist Party and Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third parties” were initially not legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history.

    Read More

  • Muckrakers In The Progressive Era

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Muckraking. The public was becoming more and more informed throughout the Progressive Era. Muckraking, the predecessor to investigative journalism, would play a major role in exposing social problems. Muckrakers had a huge impact on the changing societal landscape and investigated anything that they felt was corrupt and needed reform, such as unsanitary conditions and housing. Two Famous muckrakers, Upton Sinclair and Jacob Riis, wrote books that would expose two of the biggest scandals of the Progressive Era.

    Read More

More about The History of Muckraking

Open Document