Digging Up Dirt: The Muckrakers (American History Through Primary Sources)

The Muckrakers were the writers and photographers who exposed the uglier side of American life, such as the disgusting and dangerous conditions that existed in Chicago’s stockyards, or the awful way patients were treated in insane asylums. They exposed the fact that young children were working in dangerous coal mines and factories. What were patent medicines and why were they a real problem? What happened in Tammany Hall? And what horrifying practice did Ida B. Wells-Barnett write about? Find out all this and more! Each book in the 'American History Through Primary Sources' series delivers curriculum content by way of primary source material. Background knowledge of the subject matter is incorporated into the text. The books use clear, predictable text structures and have been leveled by a literacy expert to ensure accessibility. Vocabulary is defined at the point of use.