Who Is Upton Sinclair Successful In The Progressive Era?

The Progressive era was a time when reformers wanted to improve American life. Among these reformers were investigative journalists called muckrakers, who sought to expose social problems. In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote a novel that changed America for the better. Sinclair, a muckraker, wanted to expose the evils of the meatpacking industry, especially with respect to working conditions. Sinclair went undercover into the factories to gain first-hand information on the scandals of the meat industry. His initial goal was to expose the harsh working conditions the workers faced. Even though Upton Sinclair did not achieve the goal of improving working conditions, he was very successful in improving the meat industry for consumers through the passage of the Meat

Sinclair exposed the problem of mutilated limbs and other horrors common to the workers. Sinclair also explained how even minor injuries could become fatal and how the labor intense work done at the factories caused workers to experience swollen joints (doc 1). Unfortunately, no laws were passed to protect workers from the awful conditions they faced. Although Sinclair’s attempt at reforming working conditions was fruitless, the public’s reaction to the truth about the meat they were purchasing sparked a nationwide attempt to enact consumer protection laws. The meat packing factories were doctoring their products with chemicals so they could profit from rotten meat. The unsanitary factories were also home to rats, rat poisons, germs, dust, and dirt. The workers put contaminated meat into the meat choppers. Moldy and otherwise inedible meat was doused in chemicals and ground into sausages. When the public found out about these scandals, many were repulsed and demanded immediate government action. The government responded with the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. The Meat Inspection Act allowed, “the Secretary of