The Muckrakers: Ida Tarbell Takes on Big Business

The Muckrakers: Ida Tarbell Takes on Big Business — page 1
CHAPTER ONE SEEDS OF CONFLICT Everyone told Ida Tarbell she should be scared In 1901 the 44 year old reporter began researching a series of articles about one of the nation's industrial giants Standard Oil Trust Even her father told her not to do it saying Standard Oil had the power to ruin McClure's the national magazine she worked for But Tarbell was not afraid Reflecting on that period of her life and the magazine years later she wrote in her autobiography Courage implies a suspicion of danger Nobody thought of such a thing in our office We were undertaking what we regarded as a legitimate piece of historical work What had we to be afraid of 1 Ida Tarbell followed her heart and conscience in exposing the shady business practices of Standard Oil