Overview Of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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On November 4, 1905, author Upton Sinclair, published a now best selling book, The Jungle. Sinclair wrote this book to inform citizens of the conditions and treatments the people got working in the stockyards and slaughterhouses and to inform people of what they were eating. The book gained its rising popularity based on the fact that it caused people to open their eyes to what was happening. They were shocked and angry about what was going on and they made sure to express that. The Jungle also focused on Socialism and the Progressive Era which had the goal of taking control of the labor force and using it to make food safe, not using it to make money. The stockyards and slaughterhouses in Chicago were a main source of work for many of the people who lived there. Not many people outside of Chicago knew of the …show more content…

Most of the meat they consumed was mixed in with sawdust, human spit, urine, rat poison, dead rats, and even feces. Once people were made aware of this they were revolted and disgusted at what they had been eating. This uproar caused meat prices to drop instantly. Upton Sinclair said, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I punched it in the stomach.” After this book was published, many of the fans messaged the White House, demanding something be done. The President at the time, Roosevelt, summoned a meeting with Sinclair, in which they discussed what he had written about. A few months later, after inspections of meat producing companies had been done, President Roosevelt established the Meat Inspection Act Of 1906. This prevented any bad meat from making its way into stores or other places the public could buy it. He also signed a law regulating food and drugs called the Pure Food and Drug Act which prohibited mislabeling of food and drugs. The Jungle saved many lives and ensured confidence in many people after laws for food safety were