Muckrakers

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt coined the term “muckrakers” to refer to the journalists who exposed corruption in politics and big business. It was a reference to a character in John Bunyan’s novel, Pilgrim’s Progress, who was so focused on the mud and dirt below him that he failed to see the heavens above him. Roosevelt believed that the journalists were falling victim to the same phenomenon; he held that they were only seeing the bad aspects of society rather than the good. They were like the "muckrackers" described in the book. Roosevelt could not, however, discount the "muckrakers'" ability to enact positive change.

Muckrakers Definition

Muckrakers were the investigative journalists of the Progressive Era. They worked to expose corruption and unethical practices at all levels of government, as well as in big business. Although united by name, muckrakers focused on a wide variety of societal ills and were not necessarily aligned in their causes. Causes varied from improving conditions in the slums to imposing food and drug regulations.

Muckrakers History

The history of muckrakers has its roots in the yellow journalism of the mid to late 19th century. The goal of yellow journalism was to increase circulation and sales, but not necessarily to report actual facts. This meant that publications preferred to cover stories with a certain level of sensationalism. And stories of corruption and scandal definitely caught readers’ attention. Muckrakers used this to their advantage to advocate for change.

What caused society's problems at that time? Put simply: industrialization. Residents of rural areas flooded into cities, looking for new factory jobs, while at the same time immigrants were coming from Europe to improve their livelihoods and situations. As a result, cities became overpopulated and impoverished. Factories were unregulated, meaning that the work conditions were sometimes dangerous and the employees had little guarantees of being properly compensated.

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples

Now, let's take a look at several "muckrakers" of the Progressive Era to get a better idea of the key figures and causes.

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples: Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair is among the most famous of the muckrakers, known for his explosive expose of the meatpacking industry in The Jungle. He wrote of the exploitative, long hours as well as the dangers workers faced such as losing fingers and limbs in the machinery or falling victim to disease in the cold, cramped conditions.

Fig. 1 - Upton Sinclair

His goal was to aid the plight of workers, but middle and upper-class readers found issue with another subject in his book: the lack of food quality and safety regulation. The plight of workers they could ignore, but the image of rats running over their meat was simply too much to cast aside. As a result of Upton Sinclair’s work, the federal government passed both the Pure Food and Drug Act (which created the FDA) and Meat Inspection Act.

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples: Lincoln Steffens

Lincoln Steffens began his muckraking career writing articles for McClure’s Magazine, a magazine dedicated to the work of muckrakers. He focused on the corruption in cities and spoke out against political machines. In 1904, he published the articles in a single collection, The Shame of Cities. His work was important in gaining support for the concept of a city commission and city manager not involved with political parties

Fig. 2 - Lincoln Steffens

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples: Ida Tarbell

Similar to Lincoln Steffens, Ida Tarbell published a series of articles in McClure’s Magazine before publishing them in a book. The History of the Standard Oil Company chronicled the rise of John Rockefeller and the corrupt and unethical practices he used to get there. Ida Tarbell’s work was important in getting the Standard Oil Company dissolved under the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1911.

Fig. 3 - Ida Tarbell

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples: Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells was another prominent female muckraker. She had been born into slavery in 1862 and became an anti-lynching advocate in the 1880s. In 1892, she published Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in all its Phases, which combatted the notion that black crime led to lynchings. She also spoke against the systemic disenfranchisement of black citizens (and poor white citizens) in the South. Unfortunately, she did not find the same success as her peers.

Fig. 4 - Ida B. Wells

Muckrakers of the Progressive Era Examples: Jacob Riis

Our last example, Jacob Riis, shows that not all muckrakers were writers. Jacob Riis used photographs to expose the overcrowded, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions in New York City slums. His book, How the Other Half Lives, helped gain support for the regulation of tenement housing which would materialize in the Tenement House Act of 1901.

Fig. 5 - Jacob RIis

The Significance of Muckrakers

The work of muckrakers was essential in the growth and success of Progressivism. Muckrakers exposed the problems so that their middle and upper-class readers could band together to fix them. The Progressives were successful in forcing many reforms including the legislation we discussed above, but it is important to note that the early civil rights movement did not see the same victories.