Muckraking through the Ages
In honor of the launch of our sister site, TPMmuckraker, I wanted to call attention to a piece in the new issue of The Atlantic Monthly. As part of the 150 th anniversary celebration, the magazine is publishing excerpts from notable articles that have appeared there over the years. One of these, "Story of a Great Monopoly" by Henry Demarest Lloyd, was first published in the magazine in 1881. By means of introduction, the editors explain:
This was one of the earliest pieces of progressive muckraking to be published in a national, well-respected magazine—and the first exposé of the Standard Oil Trust to be taken seriously. The issue in which the article appeared sold out seven printings, and it helped bring antitrust legislation to the forefront of national debate, auguring the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.
The excerpt is here and the full version here.
Over at TPMmucraker, we’re going to have our own set of links to great muckrakers/muckraking stories in history. I myself have always been fascinated by Ida Tarbell and her History of the Standard Oil Company, and OUP’s blog has a good round-up of the Top Ten Congressional Lobbying Scandals in US History. But we’d like to know what makes your list...
Ah, yes, Ida. I agree with you that Ida is truly a fascinating American figure. For a short bio., I prefer this PBS "American Experience" piece over the one you cited. But reading more on her will take you on a great spiderweb journey through American society of the period; she's almost like a "Zelig" type figure!
Her archives are here and it's an ongoing project to make more of their contents available on the website.
March 14, 2006 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kate, thanks for the interesting link, it is always fascinating to read stuff from that long ago and compare it with what is in the news today, sometimes I go to the library just to go through the old archives of newspapers. I am looking forward to reading the posts and have already enjoyed in fact. I think having single place to go in order to keep up with our corrupt government is great idea, thanks again.
March 14, 2006 8:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
My favorite -- especially since we're nearing the centenial -- is David Graham Phillips's 1906 "The Treason of the Senate." As the OUP blogger notes, it was crucial in exposing how deeply business had captured our Senate by corrupting state legislatures, and in pressing for direct election in Senators. Some research I assisted marshalls strong evidence showing that this muckraking series was quite influential in changing our Constitution. Go muckrakers!
March 15, 2006 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink