Analysis Of The Jungle Excerpt By Upton Sinclair

The Jungle Excerpt was written by the American journalist and author, Upton Sinclair, in 1906. His family had lost almost everything that they had— including their wealth and their land— due to the Civil War. As a child, Sinclair moved around a lot because his father was unsuccessful in his career as liquor salesman. His love for reading began when he was around the age of five, but he did not receive a formal education until the age of ten. He graduated from Columbia University with a major in law, but his passion was always writing. When Sinclair began writing, he thought of himself as a poet. Therefore, in the early stages of his writing career he spent most of his time writing poetry. However, in October of 1904, Upton Sinclair abandoned

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there were very little regulations on these industries. The federal government was not involved in protecting the workers or improving working conditions at this time. The meatpacking industry— like many other industries at the time— overworked their employees, fought unionization, and failed to create an adequate working environment. However, the Progressive movement was expanding rapidly throughout the early twentieth century. These reformers were starting to attack the big corporations for their unfair treatment of workers. When Upton Sinclair published his book exposing this industry, the Progressives took action. The Progressive Movement advocated for more federal interference within the meatpacking industry. The Progressives were the first group to ever challenge the government to create more regulations on the meatpacking

More laws were enacted and the federal government became more involved. However, there are some criticisms to the impact that Sinclair’s writing had. Some people say that his writing didn’t really impact society in the way that it was supposed to. The criticism is that the book made the public aware that the plants were filthy and dangerous for workers, but it didn’t really help out the employees at all. This may be true to an extent, but the book did lead to some major changes within the industry. Sinclair also sent President Theodore Roosevelt a copy of the novel, and he was outraged by the atrocities that were happening within the meatpacking industry. The impact that this book had on society, as well as Roosevelt, eventually led to the passing of the first regulations within this industry. Progressives pushed the federal government to pass The Meat Inspection Act and The Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. The Meat Inspection Act mandated government enforcement of sanitary and health standards in meatpacking plants. The Pure Food and Drug Act prohibited false advertising and harmful additives in food. These two acts were the first regulations ever to be put on the meatpacking industry. This book created a positive impact on the meatpacking industry, and opened the eyes of so many across the