The muckrakers and the Progressive Era

Narrative overview. Prologue

Events leading up to the Progressive Era

The role of journalism in America

Addressing social problems

Battling the titans of industry

Exposing government corruption

The muckraking tradition continues

Legacy of the Progressive Era

Biographies. Ray Stannard Baker (1870-1946) : journalist and author of Following the color line

S.S. McClure (1857-1949) : progressive owner and editor of McClure's magazine

David Graham Phillips (1867-1911) : journalist who wrote the "Treason of the Senate" series

Jacob Riis (1849-1914) : photographer and author of How the other half lives

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) : industrial tycoon, philanthropist, and major target of the muckrakers

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) : president of the United States, 1901-1909

Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) : journalist, political leader, and author of The jungle

Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936) : Journalist and author of The shame of the cities

Ida M. Tarbell (1857-1944) : Journalist and author of The history of the Standard Oil Company

Primary sources. President Theodore Roosevelt promises progressive reform

Jacob Riis chronicles the struggles of the urban poor

John Spargo describes the tragedy of child labor

Ida Tarbell investigates the Standard Oil Trust

Upton Sinclair exposes problems in the meatpacking industry

Lincoln Steffens reveals the shame of the cities

David Graham Phillips blasts corrupt U.S. senators

Roosevelt calls crusading journalists "muckrakers"

The Washington post gives wounded veterans a voice

Pete Hamill explains the importance of investigative journalism

Modern-day muckrakers face major challenges

Important, people, places, and terms

Chronology.