The Progressive Movement 1890-1920 - The Muckrakers

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Progressive Movement 1890-1920 The Muckrakers Muckrakers, a collective term for a group of authors and journalists, were a key factor in beginning the Progressive movement. Muckrakers revealed issues in American society and challenged the people to find answers, in contrast to "yellow journalists" who were solely interested in sensationalized pieces meant to sell newspapers. Muckrakers exposed issues and sparked furious reactions from Americans, regardless of whether the issues were related to crooked machine politics, subpar working conditions in industries, or the dubious living situations of the working class, among other things. Many of these investigative journalists were well-known to President Theodore Roosevelt, who saw himself as a progressive. That being said, he was the one who initially derided them by calling them "muckrakers," a reference to a vile figure from John Bunyan's 1678 Christian parable The Pilgrim's Progress, who was upset by the way they pushed agendas into national politics. These Progressive journalists first appeared in the second part of the nineteenth century, exposing important social issues and urging the people to act. Journalist and photographer Jacob Riis employed photojournalism in his book How the Other Half Lives (1890) to document the hazardous and depressing living conditions found in working-class tenements in New York City (Figure 21.3). One of the most well-known female muckrakers, Ida Tarbell, authored a number of essays on the risks of Standard Oil, the formidable monopoly owned by John D. Rockefeller. Her writings were inspired by Henry Demarest Lloyd's 1894 book Wealth Against Commonwealth, which explored Standard Oil's excesses. Some writers—Lincoln Steffens, for example—investigated corruption in urban politics, while Ray Stannard Baker studied the hazardous working conditions and meager wages in coal mines. The muckrakers' efforts exposed significant issues in American culture and frequently succeeded in stirring up change. Their publications and essays in periodicals like McClure's brought attention to topics including child labor, antitrust, corporate mergers, and health and safety. Progressive advocates adopted these issues and worked to pass laws that would alleviate some of the problems facing industrial America. During the Progressive Movement, which took place between 1890 and 1920, important social and political changes were implemented in America. Muckrakers, a group of writers and journalists who were instrumental in bringing attention to the systemic problems afflicting American society, were at the center of this movement. Muckrakers, as opposed to the sensationalized "yellow journalists" of the day, were committed to revealing facts and bringing about significant change. Numerous social injustices, from crooked machine politics to appalling working conditions in industries and the appalling living conditions of the working class, were brought to light by their investigative reporting. The American people was incensed by these discoveries, which inspired them to demand responsibility and reform from their business and governmental leaders. Many of these muckrakers were known to self-described progressive President Theodore Roosevelt, even though it was he who first used the word "muckrakers" disparagingly. This word, which was taken from The Pilgrim's Progress, a Christian story by John Bunyan, described muckrakers as those who are obsessed with exposing the evils of society without providing helpful remedies. Roosevelt did, however, acknowledge the value of their efforts in drawing attention to urgent social concerns. One of the most well-known muckrakers was photographer and writer Jacob Riis, whose seminal book How the Other Half Lives (1890) exposed the horrible living circumstances that working-class people in New York City's tenements faced through photojournalism. Housing reform demands were sparked by Riis's striking pictures and evocative remarks, which delivered a potent critique of urban squalor. Ida Tarbell was another well-known muckraker whose reports on Standard Oil's brutal tactics, spearheaded by John D. Rockefeller, had a national impact. Tarbell's works, which were influenced by Henry Demarest Lloyd's earlier research on monopolies, revealed Standard Oil's monopolistic tendencies and their negative effects on competition and customer welfare. Lincoln Steffens examined the widespread corruption in urban politics, and Ray Stannard Baker looked into the dangerous working conditions and low pay faced by coal miners. Their investigations exposed the widespread exploitation and corruption that characterized American society, sparking calls for structural reform. Through their articles and essays, which were frequently published in magazines like McClure's Magazine, the muckrakers' unwavering pursuit of justice and the truth exposed a wide range of concerns, including child labor, workplace safety, corporate monopolies, and antitrust crimes. Legislative action was sparked by their exposés, which encouraged progressive reformers to advocate for legislation that addressed the underlying causes of social and economic injustice. In conclusion, by exposing the injustices and inequities that afflicted American society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, muckrakers played a crucial role in kindling the Progressive Movement. Their unceasing pursuit of the truth and advocacy for reform cleared the path for important political and social changes that fundamentally altered the trajectory of American history.