Why did the muckrakers begin

Progressive activists took up these causes and lobbied for legislation to address some of the ills troubling industrial America.

Muckrakers drew public attention to some of the most glaring inequities and scandals that grew out of the social ills of the Gilded Age and the hands-off approach of the federal government since the end of Reconstruction. These writers by and large addressed a white, middle-class and elite, native-born audience, even though Progressive movements and organizations involved a diverse range of Americans.

What united these Progressives beyond their different backgrounds and causes was a set of uniting principles, however. Progressives also agreed that democracy had to be balanced with an emphasis on efficiency, a reliance on science and technology, and deference to the expertise of professionals. They repudiated party politics but looked to government to regulate the modern market economy.

And they saw themselves as the agents of social justice and reform, as well as the stewards and guides of workers and the urban poor. The expressions of these Progressive principles developed at the grassroots level.

It was not until Theodore Roosevelt unexpectedly became president in that the federal government would engage in Progressive reforms. Before then, Progressivism was work done by the people, for the people.

What knit Progressives together was the feeling that the country was moving at a dangerous pace in a dangerous direction and required the efforts of everyday Americans to help put it back on track. In its first decade, the Progressive Era was a grassroots effort that ushered in reforms at state and local levels.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, however, Progressive endeavors captured the attention of the federal government. The challenges of the late nineteenth century were manifold: fast-growing cities that were ill-equipped to house the working poor, hands-off politicians shackled into impotence by their system of political favors, and rural Americans struggling to keep their farms afloat. These uses of the word were all decidedly pejorative , and it is unlikely that anyone would call themselves a "proud muckraker.

The word was given a considerable boost in , after Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech in which he waxed critical of journalists who exposed corruption. The men with the muck-rakes are often indispensable to the well-being of society; but only if they know when to stop raking the muck, and to look upward to the celestial crown of worthy endeavor.

Immediately after Roosevelt's speech, muckraker took on the sense of "one who searches out and publicly exposes real or apparent misconduct of a prominent individual or business.

If someone calls you a muckraker and you are unclear as to whether it is intended as a compliment we recommend you examine your rake to see what kind of muck is on it. If you're proud of it then you may wear muckraker with pride, and if not, well, you can also come back with nipcheese.

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Martin Kelly. History Expert. Martin Kelly, M. Updated August 19, Key Takeaways: Muckrakers Muckrakers were journalists and investigative reporters who wrote about corruption and injustice between and The term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who thought they went too far. Muckrakers came from all levels of society and risked their livelihoods and lives by their work. In many cases, their work did bring improvements. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Kelly, Martin.

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