Muckrakers
"There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck-rake."
— Theodore Roosevelt
Muckrakers, people who search for and expose real or alleged corruption and scandal by the dictionary, have revolutionized society and investigative journalism. In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt coined the term in a speech and the term has been used ever since.
In the early nineteenth-century, muckrakers failed to cause a significant impact since the newspapers refused to publish any controversial or accusing compositions. However, they started to gain more influence after the Civil War. For example, The New York Times exposed Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall while The New York Sun divulged the Crédit Mobiler scandal during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. In addition, the development of technology reduced the cost of printing newspapers. Demand for newspapers remained high especially with immigrants who desired to learn more about the United States.
Muckraking peaked during the twentieth-century. The transcontinental railroads distributed newspapers throughout the nation, and muckrakers gained fame, writing about “corporate wrongdoing, government misbehavior, and social injustice.” They left indelible changes to society as well. For example, Ida Tarbell’s The History of the Standard Oil Company attacked Rockefeller’s horizontal integration, influencing the establishment of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. While Lincoln Steffen’s The Shame of the Cities exposed a corrupted alliance between the government and corporations. During the Progressive Era, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle urged reform in the food industry, which led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.
During World War I through the 1950s, citizens of the United States mostly remained patriotic to their country and criticized muckrakers for defacing the country. They prioritized “objectivity and deference to authority.” However, strongly against the controversial Vietnam War as well as an advocacy to the Civil Rights Movement, the journalists rose again.
Numerous citizens acclaim Muckrakers as the seekers of truth. Unafraid of authority, they display strong individualism as well as courage. Because of these journalists, modern America is able to stand.
In the early nineteenth-century, muckrakers failed to cause a significant impact since the newspapers refused to publish any controversial or accusing compositions. However, they started to gain more influence after the Civil War. For example, The New York Times exposed Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall while The New York Sun divulged the Crédit Mobiler scandal during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. In addition, the development of technology reduced the cost of printing newspapers. Demand for newspapers remained high especially with immigrants who desired to learn more about the United States.
Muckraking peaked during the twentieth-century. The transcontinental railroads distributed newspapers throughout the nation, and muckrakers gained fame, writing about “corporate wrongdoing, government misbehavior, and social injustice.” They left indelible changes to society as well. For example, Ida Tarbell’s The History of the Standard Oil Company attacked Rockefeller’s horizontal integration, influencing the establishment of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. While Lincoln Steffen’s The Shame of the Cities exposed a corrupted alliance between the government and corporations. During the Progressive Era, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle urged reform in the food industry, which led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.
During World War I through the 1950s, citizens of the United States mostly remained patriotic to their country and criticized muckrakers for defacing the country. They prioritized “objectivity and deference to authority.” However, strongly against the controversial Vietnam War as well as an advocacy to the Civil Rights Movement, the journalists rose again.
Numerous citizens acclaim Muckrakers as the seekers of truth. Unafraid of authority, they display strong individualism as well as courage. Because of these journalists, modern America is able to stand.