Muckraker- the power of a name

   Muckraker-(n.) a term for a crusading journalist. The word got put into place by Teddy Roosevelt who compared the journalists to people who raked through muck. Wow... way to be creative. Anyway, is it pronounced muckraker or muck raker? Important question. This highly esteemed group of people included Ida Tarbell, Upton (what a funny name) Sinclair, and Jacob Riis. Ida Tarbell wrote about the unfair business methods of John d Rockefeller. Sinclair wrote about the practices in meat packing plants. "The Jungle" makes not want to eat meat ever again. Riis took photos of America's slum life.
These people represent the theme "the Progressives proved that nothing gold can stay." First because these people were progressives. Second, because they were all about change. They did not do these things for fun. Third, they thought that the workers should feel the benefits of the work done.

Picture taken from: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/images/loc_ida_tarbell_23feb07_150_se.jpg