She played a pivotal role in the early roots of investigative journalism, breaking up monopolistic trusts, and. Born in pennsylvania at the onset of the oil boom, tarbell is best known for her 1904 book, the history of the standard. Tarbells book is significant beyond its contribution to investigative. Muckraker, any of a group of american writers identified with. Ida tarbell biography facts, childhood, family life. Ida minerva tarbell 1857 1944 was a teacher, author, and journalist. Muckraker, any of a group of american writers identified with preworld war i reform and expose literature. Goodwin sketched a brief biography of tarbell and other socalled muckrakers, all in the days work. Ida tarbell was a muckraker, which was a person who searched for and exposed scandals and corruption. Rockefellers standard oil company and the monopoly he practiced. She started studying biology in allegheny college, in the year 1876, where she was the only woman. Ida tarbell s generation called her a muckraker the term was theodore roosevelts, and he didnt intend it as a compliment, but in our time she would have been known as.
Ida minerva tarbell november 5, 1857 january 6, 1944 was an american writer, investigative journalist, biographer and lecturer. Ida tarbell s commitment to understanding and exposing the truth to the public could be seen from the earliest of ages. Investigative journalist par excellence by arthur l. Ida tarbell, investigative journalist, lecturer, and chronicler of american industry, best known for her classic the history of the standard oil company 1904, which helped define the trend to investigation. Brief biography and bibliography ida tarbell allegheny. In this first definitive biography of ida tarbell, kathleen brady has wr. Search for library items search for lists search for. Tarbell was a teacher and journalist who was born in erie county, pennsylvania on november.
In 1999, when nyus department of journalism ranked important works of journalism from the 20th century, ida tarbell s work on standard oil. In a 12part series, journalist ida tarbell took on one of the most powerful men in the country, john d. Ida tarbell was a muckraker who wrote in the magazine mcclures 1921. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The woman that wrote an article and a book exposing the evils of the standard oil company is ida tarbell. She became one of the most influential muckrakers of the gilded age, helping. Ida tarbell was a muckraking journalist whose book on the standard oil company helped bring about its breakup. As the muckraking journalist of mcclures magazine who helped focus national attention on the trust problem in the first decade of the twentieth century, ida m. The woman who took on the tycoon history smithsonian. The rise of the standard oil company mcclures magazinedecember, 1902. Ida tarbell november 5, 1857january 6, 1944 was a critic of corporate power and muckraking journalist. Ida tarbell was an american journalist born on november 5, 1857, in erie county, pennsylvania. Ida tarbell18571944daughter of pennsylvania oil man. She was americas first journalist who was a woman, and in the popular magazine.
Famous for her exposes of corporate america and for biographies of abraham lincoln, tarbell was added to the national womens hall of fame in 2000. Science was a field largely closed to women, however, and she. Muckraking journalism emerged at the end of the 19th century largely in response to the excesses of the gilded age, and ida tarbell was one of the most famous of the muckrakers. The result, ida tarbells magazine series the history of the standard oil company. This definitive biography of ida tarbell, one of americas great journalists, is highly readably and widely acclaimed. She was one of the leading muckrakers of the progressive era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and pioneered investigative journalism. Ida tarbell was an accomplished and prominent woman in america between 1870 and 1912. The book was the history of the standard oil company, and it changed the way large companies were viewed. Ida tarbell was observant and intelligent and graduated from high school as head of her class. Ida minerva tarbell was born on november 5, 1857, in a log cabin in hatch hollow, pennsylvania. The encounter between ida tarbell, a historian and journalist, and the standard oil company, controlled by j. Ida tarbell, investigative journalist, lecturer, and chronicler of american industry, best known for her classic the history of the standard oil company 1904, which helped define the trend to investigation, expose, and crusading in liberal journals of the day that came to be known as muckraking. Many of these stories become instant bestsellers in book format. In a 12part series, journalist ida tarbell took on one of the most powerful men in.
Ida tarbell was an american journalist whose investigative reporting. In this first definitive biography of ida tarbell, kathleen brady has written a readable and widely acclaimed book about one. Born in 1857 in a log cabin in hatch hollow, pennsylvania, tarbell s first dream was to be a scientist. A new generation of investigative journalists, later dubbed muckrakers by. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At the age of 14, ida tarbell witnessed the cleveland massacre, in which dozens of small oil producers in ohio. Ida tarbell facts, life, death, summary of achievements. The muckrakers provided detailed, accurate journalistic accounts of the political and. Ida minerva, 18571944, journalists, women publisher. She was one of the leading muckrakers of the progressive era of the late 19th. For over 30 years, he had applied his uncanny shrewdness, thorough.
Born in pennsylvania in 1857, tarbell was known as one of the leading. Ida tarbells generation called her a muckraker the. What was the impact of muckraker journalist ida tarbells. Selected ida tarbell quotations sacredness of human life. A famous book from those times, was written by ida tarbell, a muckraker and journalist. Leading muckraker ida tarbell focused much attention on john d. She was the daughter of franklin sumner tarbell and esther ann mccullough. At the age of eightytwo, one of the original muckrakers writes with her characteristic.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ida tarbell. One of the leading muckrakers, she is remembered for her investigations of industry. Her work incited the breakup of a major monopoly, and set a new standard in. Tarbell is named after the pioneering investigative journalist and lecturer ida minerva tarbell.
Ida minerva tarbell has 124 books on goodreads with 1882 ratings. Ida tarbells generation called her a muckraker the term was theodore roosevelts, and he didnt intend it as a compliment, but in our time she would have been known as an investigative reporter, with the. Tarbell learned that the key to the story was an elusive 126page book called. Tarbells schedule for the book was tightthe first installment came out only six weeks after she initially started. In this first definitive biography of ida tarbell, kathleen brady has written a readable and widely acclaimed book about one of americas great journalists. She was the only woman in her graduating class at allegheny college in 1880. His book influenced consumers to demand safer canned products. She rejected being labeled a muckraker despite its popularity, because i was. Through her achievements, she not only helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society.
Ida tarbell helped transform journalism by introducing what is called today investigative journalism. Ida tarbell, investigative journalist, lecturer, and chronicler of american industry. Brief biography and bibliography ida tarbell allegheny college. Ida minerva tarbells most popular book is history of standard oil company. Lowrie, allegheny college class of 1955 investigative journalism is the contemporary journalists path to fame and fortune and the. Rockefeller, set a precedent for using journalism to challenge popular beliefs and becoming the. Ida tarbell had been one of the first investigative reporters to be labeled a muckraker but rather than reveling in the controversial compliment, she eschewed the term and stated, i was convinced that in.
Ida tarbell was one of the few willing to hold him accountable. Ida tarbell was born on november 5, 1857 in pennsylvania. Portrait of a muckraker kindle edition by brady, kathleen. The history of the standard oil company is a 1904 book by journalist ida tarbell. She was a leading muckraker of her time and today would be called an investigative journalist.
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