As the Civil War came to an end, the U.S. entered into the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was characterized by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration, but it also consisted of poverty, labor unions, and political and business corruption due to the significant change of industrialization in U.S. society. In order to change and fix the troubles of the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era began in 1897, where progressives believed that it was the responsibility of the government to bring positive change for the working class. As businesses were becoming wealthy and powerful, they were also corrupt due to monopolies and trusts, while also influencing the government, factories also had no cleanliness or safety, and only white men held the majority …show more content…
Upton Sinclair, a muckraker, brought attention to the American public, about the meatpacking industry in his book The Jungle. In his book, it revolved around a Lithuanian immigrant family, who immigrated to Chicago and the difficulties and poverty they faced while in Packington. The purpose of the novel was to bring about attention and expose the conditions of the meatpacking industry, so that the government would be forced to to fix it. The intended audience that Sinclair hoped it would catch the attention of was the American public so they could be exposed to the hidden truth about the meat packing industry and the government as well, so that they could also pass food safety laws.(Doc.2) Although it was a fictional story, it was successful in bringing attention to how filthy the meatpacking industry was to the government and public. It caught the attention of the U.S. public because Sinclair noted how rats crawled all over the meat and workers would clean their dirty hands in the water that would be put into the meat that consumers would eat. Smoked sausages had chemicals put into them to alter the appearance of it. It was seen as outrageous to the American public and the government. The significance of this novel was that since Roosevelt promised the Square Deal, it meant that he would ensure consumer protection as his role as president. Consumer Protection Laws were safety …show more content…
Big businesses and corporations were very influential and wealthy so they would use that to get certain legislations passed in Congress for their benefit. Monopolies and trusts would also bribe politicians, and this upset American society since the government is meant to work for the good of the people. A muckraker who would bring awareness to the particular corrupt relationship between big businesses and the government would be Lincoln Steffens. He notes in The Shame of the Cities that wealthy businessmen would buy votes and some would even partake in political machines. This was an illegal method to keep a candidate in office. (Doc.3) Steffen brought awareness to the relationship between businesses and politics was because his point of view as a muckraker was to expose the problems of the the Gilded Age was that it needed to be changed and fixed. A muckraker would do this either through journalism or another form of writing to gain support from the public. In this way, muckrakers and progressives hope that it will force the government to fix the problems that have continued. The solution that progressives wanted for the political corruption between businesses and government was to have a direct democracy. This would mean that the power would be given to the citizens of the U.S. and they would be
The things that occurred during the Progressive Era should never be overlooked. These big businesses such as the meatpacking companies, U.S Steel and Oil company all
Genre: This book is in the genre of political and historical fiction, as it portrays the horrors of the meat-packing industry with a few fictional characters. Historical Context: Upton Sinclair was a muckraker, which meant he was a journalist who exposed the harsh societal norms
However, Sinclair was and unlikely savior. He had roots in socialist agenda, which unapologetically opposed capitalism and lobbied for full government takeover. In addition, Sinclair had alienated himself from elitist circles by authoring over 40 books which muckraked industry and institutions such as Hollywood, the press, and religion. Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, described the in detail the horrors of the meat packing industry and led to government regulation of the industry. Sinclair realized that America was in desperate need for immediate reform and could not await social victory over capitalism.
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle was a novel popularized and published during the Progressive Era with the purpose of exposing the horrific working conditions of the Chicago meat industry. Sinclair exposed the unsanitary practices of the meat industry and the dehumanization of the workers. The harsh realities written in Sinclair’s novel reached the hearts of many Americans furthering the push of many progressive activist’s demands. In the end this created an everlasting lawful change with the help of President Theodore Roosevelt.
The jobs were hard, and “the family had firsthand knowledge of the great majority of packingtown swindles” (Sinclair 1). After his book was published a national uproar occurred. Not because of the life of immigrants but because of the dirty meat-packing industry. The book helped laws get passed so the meat would be healthy and not full of “little extras” that would poison the
The book was instrumental in the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906. These laws were passed in response to the book’s depiction of the unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry. The laws were designed to improve the safety and quality of food products in the United States. The Jungle also had an impact on the political beliefs of many Americans. Sinclair’s message of socialism as a solution to the social and economic problems in America resonated with many people.
His first novel, Springtime and Harvest, was inspired by Sinclair’s troubled marriage, and he self-published this novel after receiving many rejections. Since then, he wrote novels based on the topics of Wall Street, Civil War, and autobiographies, but he did not become well-known until the publishing of The Jungle. The Jungle uncovers the mistreatment of the workers in the meatpacking industry, and the book vividly describes the cruelty to animals and unsanitary conditions, which shocked many people and changed the way they shopped for food. Even though Sinclair had many attempts in making his novels known, The Jungle ultimately made him famous for his brutal observations of the meatpacking industry, leading to changes in the
Upton Sinclair developed his thoughts on the plight of immigrants into Chicago extremely well throughout his novel, The Jungle. Through the portrayal of the Lithuanian family's struggles and hardships, Sinclairs tells the truths of the corruption and immigrant experience in Chicago in the early 1900s. The gruesome details of the meat packaging industry show how truly unjust and disturbing the working conditions were during these times. Upton goes on to depict the unfair living conditions of the Lithuanian immigrants as well as the immigrants before and after their time in Packington. After Sinclair released the serial form of his novel in a Socialist newspaper in 1905, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was soon to follow.
The book mentions and involves the meat packing industry many times. A big part of the story is meant to talk about the horrible conditions about the meatpacking industry but it’s not the whole story. The main character does start to work in the meatpacking industry but it’s not the whole story. The book is about the hardships of a poor immigrant family in Chicago and about every other poor person having hard times in the country. Upton Sinclair is showing the horrendous ways that people had to live in his days, the way people manipulated each other, stole, tricked, ripped off.
While Upton Sinclair was writing what was soon to be a bestseller and a book that is still used in literature classes to this day, he kept in mind that he wanted to portray the exploited lives of workers for the meatpacking industries. He really emphasized that they were substantially underpaid for the harsh working conditions they were put in. What the public emphasized on was how the meat was being treated, this caused an uproar throughout the country. It was never Sinclair’s goal to muck rack and expose what the meatpacking industries were doing. Now to this day Sinclair’s, The Jungle, is known for being a classic muckraking tale.
Upton Sinclair’s, “The Jungle,” illustrated crucial aspects of American history, some more effectively than others. However, it is apparent that “The Jungle” effectively portrayed the realms of capitalism and the industrial crisis exceptionally. This aspect of the industrial issue was further reinforced with tons of descriptions of the harsh working conditions, which further led to the development of many socialistic ideologies and strikes. It was obvious that the high authorities within the meat-packing industry only cared about one thing; profit. These private-business owners reinforced the unsanitary, inhumane operations of a capitalistic society; one that gave little remorse for those working unhealthy loads of hours.
In addition, Sinclair took many of his ideas for the plot of The Jungle from real-life events such as the 1904 meat-packing strike in Chicago, and from information he collected from firsthand experience in the stockyards. This personal touch to his writing, coupled with his ability to emotionally move the human heart, made his book a major success across the United States and all over the world. Still, as his writing style is considered to be simple, many literary critics disapprove of the abundant acclaim this novel has received. Sinclair himself also disapproved of his novel’s reception, as it led to changes in the sanitation of the food industry instead of in worker’s rights. Still, no one can doubt the impact Sinclair had on the state of American industry.
The book displays the conditions of the corrupt economy of the meat-packing industry, aside from telling what Jurgis went through. The book “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair was reached by President Theodore Roosevelt, which helped advocate congress to pass the “Food and Drug Act of
The Meatpacking Industry was one of the most prominent and powerful industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was responsible for processing and distributing large amounts of meat to consumers across the United States. The industry was plagued with numerous problems, including poor working conditions, exploitation of workers, and unsanitary practices. In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his novel, "The Jungle," which exposed the brutal realities of the meatpacking industry.
In 1906, American writer Upton Sinclair published The Jungle which highlighted the harsh conditions Chicago’s immigrant meatpackers faced in meatpacking industries. Working undercover, Sinclair investigated how these industries exploited their workers by not providing basic sanitary conditions and regulating any safety precautions which often contaminated the meat supplies going out to the public. Per an excerpt from The Jungle, the men faced serious injuries such as sliced fingers and toxic inhalations which caused deadly diseases to upraise. Such conditions were inhumane which called for reform on the meatpacking industry from the public during the Progressive Era. Upton Sinclair was a muckraker who only wanted nothing but equality from corrupt industries.