The Progressive Movement and The Jungle go hand and hand. The Progressives were a group of reformers who wanted to resolve political and social problems by invoking the citizens to speak out against what was going on. Most of the reformers were from urban areas and were highly educated. These individuals included many socialists as well as the author Upton Sinclair, Theodore Roosevelt, Ida Tarbell, and Jacob Riis. Their primary goals were to preserve social welfare, have a more regulated government, fairer business practices, and uphold morals. President Theodore Roosevelt broke up some of the major trusts, like Northern Securities, during his presidency. Much of his legislation regulated big business in the country. Ida Turbell was a female journalist during the Progressive Era. In 1904, Ida Tarbell exposed the unreasonable business practices of the Standard Oil Company. This led to the company being punished under anti-trust legislation. Jacob Riis was a social reformer who used journalism and photography to expose how the lower classes were living. How The Other Half Lived allowed Riis to show the upper class how people in the slums lived on a day-to-day basis. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was another noise maker of the Progressive Movement.
Jurgis, the main character, attended a socialist party meeting about inequality and exploitation in America. Jurgis became a socialist and began spreading his beliefs to those around him. Later Jurgis is introduced to Ostrinski, who teaches him more about socialism and the oppression of the working class by the wealthy owners. Jurgis soon became such a devoted socialist he attempted to convert anyone he met. Furthermore, Jurgis was hired at a hotel, and his manager happened to be the state organizer of the socialist party. His manager soon learns that Jurgis worked in a meat packing factory and urges him to share his stories about unfair labor practices and unsanitary food handling. This portion of the book shined the light on the actual hardships faced by laborers of the time, something the upper-class claims they were virtually unaware of.
The protection of unions was undoubtedly a part of the Progressive Movement. Labor unions were formed by workers to protect and further their rights in the industry. During the Progressive Era, blocks were known to go on strike, and most were peaceful. An example of such strikes would be the Hayward Square Affair. A large group of people rallied together for a protest organized by labor radicals, which was peaceful until the cops showed up. One protester threw a pipe bomb at the police, killing eight officers and one civilian as well as injuring countless protestors. The police fired back and killed 4 of the protesters. This riot caused a wave of xenophobia within the country. In The Jungle, there were ongoing problems with labor unions and the mistreatment by meatpacking industries. Soon these unions decided to go on strike against all of the packing industr...
