Upton Sinclair

earn enough money to support their next meal, let alone a place to sleep. Two authors have captured this phenomenon in their novels about the pursuit about the American Dream. These authors; F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the The Great Gatsby and Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle show very different versions of America in…

1870 to the 1900 was referred to as the gilded ( to be covered in a thin layer of gold color) age due to the fact it was paraded as a brilliant and magnificent time in America when infact it was a time of poverty and corruption. During this time in U.S. history the country had become very corrupt examples of this were shown like the party bosses, railroad companies were paying off politicians, and corners were cut on the construction of the dumbbell buildings. At this westward expansion was…

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is an accurate presentation of United States history during the early twentieth century because it correctly depicts the exploitation of the poor working class and eventual shattering of dreams by the wealthy capitalists through: the political corruption such as the party bosses’ constant rigging of elections, the harsh labor conditions and cheating of wages put on workers, and the constant injustices and swindling that the working class endured. Sinclair…

Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle, is set in the early 1900’s and tells the story of Jurgis, the main character, who has much trouble in succeeding the tasks he promises to fulfill for his family. Jurgis Rudkus is married to Ona. The two have two late children and two handicapped children. When he, his wife, and their children move to Packingtown, Chicago from Lithuania, Jurgis finds a job to provide for them. Of course, having one person only working to pay the bills is difficult especially with…

While all the presidents worked to correct problems during the Progressive Era, Theodore Roosevelt was the most progressive president because he regulated big business, workers rights, and conservation of natural resources The Sherman Antitrust Act was a part of Roosevelt's work of regulating business. Roosevelt used this act when he criticized the wealth of Americans on the account of violence exploding into the public that could destroy the whole system. Roosevelt also used the Pure Food and…

Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore in 1878. His family lost their wealth and land due to the Civil War. At 10 years old, Sinclair’s family moved to New York City. Sinclair went to his primary schooling there and also college. He attended Columbia University, while he was there he started selling stories to magazines. He graduated from Columbia University in 1897 and married Meta Fuller and had a child three years later. Sinclair joined the Socialist Party in 1903 and started writing for…

In the early nineteen hundred, progressivism was on sway, as the public responded to several societal and economical problems that arose in America. There were many advances that were made to help improve the human lifestyle. During Roosevelt’s presidency, he passed several acts that helped the society emotionally and physically, but in 1906 he passed a measure that aided both corporations and consumers. One such act was called the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906. This act was “designed to…

As a book told in the fiction context, King Coal by Upton Sinclair describes the gruesome, harsh reality of working in the coal industry in the 1910 from mining issues such as the hopes of getting a job in the industry of coal in the western states of the United States, the harsh mining conditions, and miners being taken advantage of by their bosses. The book discusses two mining in general locations where all the stories are told by Sinclair himself: Rocky Mountain and Pedro (6). The author 's…

Common Sense Common Sense by Thomas Paine written in 1776 was America’s first bestselling work of literature. Common Sense was a short 47- page pamphlet that expressed the need for American independence and a republican government. The pamphlet was an extremely sought after publication: “up to 150,000 copies circulated in its first year, and it underwent numerous reprintings.” Attributing to this pamphlets popularity was accessibility; a reading so small facilitated mass circulation . For…

the American immigrant experience. Anzia Yezierska, a Russian immigrant, wrote “America and I,” an autobiographical piece about her life as an immigrant in New York. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, a fictional account meant to reveal the poor treatment of workers in the Chicago meat packing…