Upton Sinclair on the cover of Time, October 22, 1934
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Historical Background: In our previous activity we learned about many of the problems that existed in politics and other areas during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The people who exposed these problems were called Muckrakers. These Progressives looked for ways to improve society so that there would be a better chance at equality for all Americans.
Directions: Create a book front, middle and back on a Muckracker.
Front Cover: You are trying to market this book to re-release it in current times. The front cover of your book should have an illustration that describes the abuse that your Muckraker was trying to expose. You can print stuff from the internet, but I do not want it to be an unoriginal picture that you found. You must show some thought and imagination in your creation.
Middle: The middle two pages will be dedicated to explaining the area that the “Muckraker” you chose tried to reform and the results of their efforts. Examples will include government legislation, reform movements, etc…
Back Cover: The back of the book should have the persons name and a brief bio about the person. This is sort of like an about the author. Do not copy this material directly, read it and then put it into your own words.
Extra: If you really want to get a good grade you can also add Flaps to your book covers with any other information that you feel is important. Examples could be the effect their efforts had on society, small examples of their work, other works, pictures, etc…
On the back of this sheet, you will find the covers of the books written by some of the Muckrakers. You are supposed to be reinventing these works so, try and create something that you think will make people want to read this book.
Person 1: Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives, Tenements in NYC
Person 2: Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, Abuses of the Meat Packing Industry
Person 3: Lincoln
Person 4: Florence
Person 5: Ida Tarbell, The Standard Oil Company, Abuses of Big Business
Person 6: Thomas Nast, Political Corruption
