Muckrakers In The Progressive Era

Ida did not hesitate to criticize Rockefeller for stooping to unethical business practices in quest for his numerous successes. Her writings were credited with the eventual breakup of Standard Oil, which came after the U.S Supreme Court rule in 1911, that the company was violating the Sherman Antitrust act. The Sherman Antitrust act allowed only Congress to regulate interstate commerce. Ida Tarbell and Ida B. Wells have much more in common than just their names. Both have exposed underlying issues in American society through pieces of writings, persistence, and course of actions they took.

Workers felt unappreciated and that without rising up against their employers, they would be left starving,homeless, or dead. Workers wanted more money, an eight hour workday, safe working conditions, and protection against wage cutting. A couple of reformers during the Progressive Era were Jane Addams and Jacob Riis. Both worked toward helping the immigrants, women, children, and the poor working class. Jane Addams was a reformer who opened a settlement house to help the less fortunate.

The progressive era was a time in american history when there was change in the american way of life. Before the progressive era people would die because of mal- sanitation, children would be working in factories and where getting hurt. Meat packing was done inadequately. Muckrakers brought about positive change by exposing the ill fated conditions of child labor, and the sheer filth of the meat packing industry, through literature.

By the early 20th century, millions of Americans were engaged in oil-related industries; this increased employment. Rockefeller saw the vast potential of the industry, as he described: “We saw the vast possibilities of the oil industry, stood at the center of it, and brought our knowledge and imagination and business experience to bear in a dozen, in twenty, in thirty directions.” Much of Rockefeller’s whole life was characterized by various business-related controversies for his aggressive expanding desire but by the later parts of his life he became to be remembered as a philanthropist for his charitable efforts. The overall image of Rockefeller had varied significantly depending on who he was viewed, for example, his ex-competitors, politicians and critical biographizes.

However, the ideas of the privileged, who did not experience the same hardships as those of low income, were not as widely held by the poor. In their eyes, the captains of industry and the monopolies, such as Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, were so rich and held such power over the world economy they were akin to royalty (Source D). As such, movements grew to oppose the monopolies and horrid working conditions. Legislatively, laws were created to limit their power, such as the Sherman Antitrust Act, which limited monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade (Source F), or the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, which strengthened provisions for breaking up monopolies and exempted unions from prosecution. Similarly, organized labor (such as the National Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and the American Federation of Labor) grew to oppose dreadful conditions through political action or direct confrontation.

The progressives were a group of people who wanted to change the situation for the better. The progressives had a big role in reforming the the US socially, politically, and industrially.

Jane Addams The Progressive Era, 1890-1920, accomplished great change in the Unites States of America. Many reformers and activits demanded for change in education, food and drug policies, and most importantly the govermenet. The goal for the movement was the purify the nation. One of the main activits during this time was Jane Addams. Jane Addams is often refered to as a social and political pioneer.

The popularity of the Progressive movement in the early 1900's was due to several social and cultural changes in the United States. In the wake of chaotic reorganizations of the country after industrialization and urbanization, as well as the influences of earlier ideological movements such as Populism and Pragmatism, the Progressives sought to bring order and progress to society through central planning, social reform, and even social control. The intellectuals were understood to have the best interests of the people in mind, and therefore had the responsibility to intervene in society through the means of the state. These areas of intervention included sanitation, inculcation of certain moral and behavioral habits, environmental conservation,

America became a more advanced and equal country during this time. The progressives were reformers who fought corruption. Business owners during this time were only concerned about themselves. (artifact 8) Child labor was still a very large problem.

To illustrate, in 1890, John Sherman passed a bill known as the “Sherman Antitrust Act,” which attempted to counter the growing number of trusts and monopolies in the country (Doc. 4). Although the Antitrust Act failed to stop any trusts, the act did help pave the way for legislation in the early 1900’s that would help workers and workers’ rights. In conclusion,

Between the 1890s and World War One, reform efforts started taking place by the progressives. The progressives were not a single unified group and even had some contradicting goals. They were middle class urban dwellers and some were women. The progressives wanted to end prostitution, Americanize immigrants, antitrust legislation created, women’s suffrage, and the start of prohibition.

John D. Rockefeller owned a bunch of oil refineries and instead of drilling for his oil, he focused on refining it. Rockefeller later became the richest man in America of his time. He didn't treat his workers very well. He made them work long shifts and offered very low wages. Vanderbilt linked a railroad connecting the

The progressives, wanted to create a society that acted as one. The idea of being an individual was something to be forgotten in order to create a more perfect civilization of order and pureness. During this time of the progressive movement, the rest of society began to reject it ideology of their message and goals of non­pleasure and work. Especially around the Carina Arreola History 1302 W.Wooten time of World War One, the Great depression, and the New Deal.

Nearly everything, at the time, was an incredibly competitive business and the conditions were relentless. Particularly in the steel industry, the conditions were the worst. Painter writes “The hot,

Lots of people might have the opinion of calling them Robber Barons but to others, they all had a decent heart inside pointing them to be a Captain of