Ida Tarbell the Muckraker: Digging up the Dirt 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
understanding of their consequential impact. In the early 20th century, Ida Tarbell's attack on Standard Oil was seen as a great accomplishment, but the attack itself is questionable due to Tarbell's biases and accuracy. Ida M. Tarbell, "Lady Muckraker," was one of the greatest muckrakers of the early 20th century. Born in 1857, she lived her childhood in an oil boomtown. Her father, Franklin Tarbell, made his fortune off of oil. Tarbell knew and understoo... ... middle of paper ... ...of the Progressive
Ida Minerva Tarbell was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on November 5, 1857 (Lowrie). She was the daughter of Esther and Franklin Tarbell (Lowrie). At the age of three, Ida was moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania with her family (Lowrie). Tarbell's mother took a teaching job and her father became an oil producer and refiner in their new town (Lowrie). As King wrote, “her father's business, along with those of many other small businessmen, was adversely affected by the South Improvement Company scheme between
During the Progressive Era Theodore Roosevelt coined the term “muckraker” to characterize journalists that he believed overdid themselves when researching a story, comparing them to someone stirring up the mud at the bottom of a pond. However, while Roosevelt created the nickname, he also used the muckrakers’ influence to directly appeal to the American people. Journalists who are considered muckrakers do not go too far in the pursuit of their stories because they are using their positions to expose
in his hands; who was offered a celestial crown for his muckrake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake himself the filth of the floor. Some, like Roosevelt viewed methods of muckrakers such as Ida Tarbell, Ray S. Baker, Lincoln Steffens, and Upton Sinclair as these types of people. Others saw these muckraking methods as perfectly acceptable for fighting against the industrial powerhouses. Either way, these muckrakers worked hard to arouse sentiment
few of these were Ida Tarbell, Samuel Hopkins Adams, Ray Stannard Baker and Lincoln Steffans. Ida M. Tarbell was a woman whose early life was impacted by the standard oil monopoly. Ida grew up in the oil rich region of northern Pennsylvania, and as such, her father became an oil refiner. When Standard oil worked with the railroads to monopolize on the production and transport of said oil, her father refused to sell his company, which made life difficult for him and his family. Ida started her journalism
Throughout the history of the United States of America, many great men have directed their attention to the success of the country. J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon and Henry Ford are just a few of the greatest business leaders accredited with contributing to the industrialization of the United States. John D. Rockefeller, one of the major oil producers in the United States of America, began investing in the emerging oil business in 1863. He is widely considered to be one of the world’s
One Rockefeller had partnered up with a colleague to establish a shipping company that made significant profits during the Civil War. These profits were used to start up Standard Oil, which was in the oil refinery business. Rockefeller and Standard Oil had different types of business power such as economic power, legal power, political power and power over individuals. During this time, the government did not have policies to ensure fair business practices and Standard Oil took advantage of that
As America’s first billionaire, few individuals in history can compare with John D. Rockefeller Sr. His wealth around the turn of the 20th century would be worth roughly twenty-two billion dollars in modern United States dollars. It is undeniable that Rockefeller changed the landscape of the American petroleum industry by defining the nature of oil production. By 1883, Rockefeller was laying the foundations for what we now know as the vertically integrated company and the modern multinational.