In 1878, Upton Sinclair was born, an advocate writer that changed the meat packing industry forever. He was born in Maryland to an alcoholic father and headstrong mother. From birth he was exposed to dichotomies that would affect his mind at an early age. Sinclair was raised on the edge of poverty and would often visit his mother 's wealthy family. At age 14, Sinclair attended the City College of New York. After graduating in 1897, he enrolled at Columbia University to continue his studies.
Sinclair wrote dime novels to support himself during his time attending Columbia University. He decided to become a serious novelist after completing his schooling at age 20 while being a freelance journalist to make ends meet. In 1900, Sinclair married Meta Fuller and started a family with their baby David. Sinclair published his first novel,
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He was sent to chicago in 1904 by a socialist newspaper to write an expose on the mistreatment of workers in the meatpacking industry. Sinclair threw himself into the manuscript that would be known as The Jungle, after several weeks of undercover research. The Jungle was published in 1906 by Doubleday after being initially rejected but the release made public acclaim and shock. The Jungle became a massive best seller and was translated into 17 different languages within the first month of release.
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the many readers, he invited Upton to the White House and ordered an investigation on the meat packing industry. As a result, The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act was passed in 1906. By the early 1920’s, Sinclair divorced Meta and remarried a woman named Mary and moved to South Carolina where he pursued more writing. His novels from this period fared far better than his political ventures, with 1927’s Oil! Received favorable views.Sinclair received a Pulitzer prize in 1943 from his novel Dragon 's