The Progressive Era, (1890 – 1920), was characterized by social and political reform. Muckraker was a term applied to reporters who used investigative journalism and photographs to highlight social injustice. Often the muckraker would go “undercover” into the environment in order to document and expose wrongdoing. The issues covered by muckrakers during the Progressive Era ranged from social to political but they all had a common denominator of the weak being preyed on by the strong: Poor working conditions in agriculture and industry, child labor abuse, tenants subjected to subpar living conditions in slums, cruel treatment of inmates in mental asylums, political corruption and waste, public health and safety violations, illegal financial practices, etc. In short, muckrakers were inspired by a desire to correct inequities in our society and they proved to be an important catalyst for change during the Progressive Era.
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A meat slaughter and packing warehouse. “There was never the least attention paid to what was cut up for sausage….there would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor in dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs…” The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. 1906
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Child Labor: Hiram Pulk, age 9, working in a canning company. "I ain't very fast only about 5 boxes a day. They pay about 5 cents a box," he said. Eastport, Maine. By, Lewis Hine (caption by Hine)
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Lodgers in a crowded Bayard Street tenement - "Five cents a spot."
Circa1890. By Jacob Riis
Circa1890. By Jacob Riis
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Workers Stringing Beans, Baltimore, MD
June 7, 1909
National Archives and Records Administration. By Lewis Hine
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Interior of tenement building. Unspecified photographer. Library of Congress
LC-USZ62-57898
LC-USZ62-57898
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Miners: Breaker boys. Smallest is Angelo Ross. Pittston, Pennsylvania. Lewis Hines. Photographs from 1908-1912
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Police Station Lodgers 18. Eldridge Street Station, Women lodgers. Jacob Riis 1890
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Women and children working in a factory. Children too young to work are forced to stand by their mothers all day. Progressive Era photos – National Archives
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By Lincoln Steffens 1904. Lincoln is highlighting political corruption that leaves many people in poverty. Lincoln describes a big business man as “bad”; he does not listen to politics. He also tries to make deals with the government to limit other businesses.
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1887. Nellie Bly went undercover as a journalist and had herself committed to an insane asylum. She documented the poor conditions and treatment of the patients. There are no photos as she was undercover and given no privacy. Her subsequent story caused public uproar and many changes were made to the way patients were treated.