Muckrakers are journalists like Upton Sinclair, Ida Wells, and Ida Tarbell who exposed corruption and injustices in order to change society.
Biography of Lewis Hine
Background "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work." -- Lewis Hine, 1908
Known as the 'Father of the American Cartoon,' Thomas Nast's artistic wit attacked slavery and brought down a big crime boss. Learn more about his life and career at Biography.com.
Biography of Thomas Nast
In the years following the Civil War, a former street brawler and Lower East Side political fixer named William M. Tweed became notorious as "Boss Tweed" in New York City. Tweed never served as mayor. The public offices he held at times were always minor.
Jacob Riis brought attention to the plight of slum dwellers through his pioneering work as a journalist in New York City.
Based on his own experiences as an immigrant and his knowledge of the slums as a police reporter, Riis advocated for practical solutions to a wide array of social problems. Through lectures, newspaper and magazine articles, and books like <em>How the Other Half Lives</em> (1890) and <em>The Children of the Poor</em> (1892), Riis worked tirelessly to influence public opinion.
Jacob Riis immigrated to the United States in 1870. After a series of odd jobs, he became a police reporter, a job he enhanced with his natural photographic skills. Led by his interest in New York City's tenement life and the harsh conditions people living there endured, he used his camera as a tool to bring about change.
Explore the polemical life of writer Upton Sinclair, from 'The Jungle' to his 'Lanny Budd' series, on Biography.com.
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Ida Tarbell was an American journalist whose investigative reporting led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly. Learn more at Biography.com.
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Chicago citation style Thomas Nast, 27 Sep 1840 - 7 Dec 1902. Thomas Nast Self-Portrait. 1902. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID=npg_NPG.92.115&repo=DPLA. (Accessed November 6, 2021.) APA citation style Thomas Nast, 27 Sep 1840 - 7 Dec 1902, (1902) Thomas Nast Self-Portrait.
Background "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work." -- Lewis Hine, 1908 After the Civil War, the availability of natural resources, new inventions, and a receptive market combined to fuel an industrial boom.