Ida Tarbell Research Paper

Ida Tarbell became one of the most influential muckrakers of the Gilded age. Ida Tarbell was born in 1857 in western Pennsylvania 's oil region. Her town of Titusville and encompassing territories in the oil river valley had been created into a prosperous industry.Then suddenly this town received a detrimental blow. That blow originated from the South Improvement Company, an enterprise established in 1871 and generally viewed as an exertion by Rockefeller and Standard Oil in Ohio to control the oil and gas ventures in that district.The three top railroads that ran through Cleveland agreed to raise their shipping fees while paying rebates to Rockefeller .Small oil refiners were hurt from these brutal tactics and Ida decided to write “ The History Of Standard Oil Company” which exposed these harsh business practices

Ida did not hesitate to criticize Rockefeller for stooping to unethical business practices in quest for his numerous successes. Her writings were credited with the eventual breakup of Standard Oil, which came after the U.S Supreme Court rule in 1911, that the company was violating the Sherman Antitrust act. The Sherman Antitrust act allowed only Congress to regulate interstate commerce. Ida Tarbell and Ida B. Wells have much more in common than just their names. Both have exposed underlying issues in American society through pieces of writings, persistence, and course of actions they took. As women, it was extremely hard to convey their messages to the public because of the lack of rights women had at that time. Their ability to face ridicule and adversity through tough issues makes them successful individuals. although they have not fixed issues entirely there is no denying that things wouldn 't be better if it wasn 't for their course of action. Ida B. Wells shed