What was the first book that Ida Tarbell wrote?
Ida M. Tarbell’s The History of the Standard Oil Company was first serialized in McClure’s Magazine starting in 1902 and then published as a best-selling book in 1904. Tarbell grew up around the Pennsylvania oil industry, where her father suffered from, and protested, John D. Rockefeller’s business practices.
How did Ida Tarbell expose Rockefeller?
With the help of muckraker, Ida Tarbell, who wrote about Rockefeller’s unfair tactics in the petroleum business, the Standard Oil was broken off. Here is an interview with both Ida Tarbell and John Rockefeller: Do you believe creating monopolies in businesses is unfair?
What was Ida Tarbell main goal as a reformer?
Through her achievements, she not only helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society and stimulate the Progressive reform movement, but she also became a role model for women wishing to become professional journalists.
What did Ida Tarbell accomplish in the Progressive Era?
Ida Tarbell helped transform journalism by introducing what is called today investigative journalism. Through her achievements, she not only helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society and stimulate the Progressive reform movement, but she also became a role model for women wishing to become professional journalists. Born on the oil frontier…
What did Ida Tarbell publish in 1904?
The History of the Standard Oil CompanyBorn in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the oil boom, Tarbell is best known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company. The book was published as a series of articles in McClure's Magazine from 1902 to 1904. It has been called a "masterpiece of investigative journalism", by historian J.
What books did Ida Tarbell write?
The History of the Standard...1904All in the Day's Work1939The Life of Abraham Lincoln1900The Business of Being a W...1912The Life of Abraham Lincoln: Dr...1895He Knew Lincoln1907Ida Tarbell/Books
What was Ida Tarbell best known for?
In her most famous work, The History of the Standard Oil Company (which oil historian Daniel Yergin called the “most important business book ever written”), Miss Tarbell revealed, after years of painstaking research, the illegal means used by John D. Rockefeller to monopolize the early oil industry.
What impact did Ida Tarbell have?
Ida Tarbell helped pioneer investigative journalism when she wrote a series of magazine articles about John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Trust. She and other jour- nalists, who were called “muckrakers,” aided Progressive Movement reform efforts.
What did Ida Tarbell's book expose?
Tarbell Exposes The Standard Oil Company Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Her study of Rockefeller's practices as he built Standard Oil into one of the world's largest business monopolies took many years to complete. McClure's Magazine published it in 19 installments.
Why did Ida Tarbell expose Standard Oil?
Ida M. Tarbell, pictured here in 1904, made it the focus of her journalistic career to expose Standard Oil and Rockefeller's brutal business practices. Tarbell later claimed she was opposed to Standard Oil not simply because it was dominant but because of what she perceived to be unfair business practices.
How did Ida Tarbell change the world?
She became one of the most influential muckrakers of the Gilded Age, helping to usher in that age of political, economic and industrial reform known as the Progressive Era. “They had never played fair,” Tarbell wrote of Standard Oil, “and that ruined their greatness for me.”
Why was Ida Tarbell a muckraker?
Ida M. Tarbell's name would become synonymous with the term muckraker after publication of her 19-part expose of the business practices of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company that had destroyed her father's oil business, as well as many other small oil related companies in Pennsylvania's oil region in the 1870s.
What did Ida Tarbell wrote about Rockefeller?
Ida Tarbell concluded her series with a two-part character study of Rockefeller, where she described him as a “living mummy,” adding, “our national life is on every side distinctly poorer, uglier, meaner, for the kind of influence he exercises.”
What company did muckraker Ida write about?
Ida Tarbell was a muckraker who wrote about Standard Oil Company. Ida Tarbell was a muckraker who wrote about Standard Oil Company. She was one of the first investigative journalists, and her work helped bring down the company.
What was Ida Tarbell's first life?
Ida Tarbell's early life in the oil fields of Pennsylvania would have an impact when she later wrote on the Standard Oil Company and on labor practices. The Panic of 1857 hit the Tarbell family hard as banks collapsed and the Tarbells lost their savings. Franklin Tarbell was away in Iowa building a family homestead when Ida was born. Franklin had to abandon the Iowan house and return to Pennsylvania. With no money, he walked across the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to return, and supported himself along the way by teaching in rural schools. When he returned, ragged from his 18-month journey, young Ida Tarbell was said to have told him, "Go away, bad man!"
Where was Ida Tarbell born?
Early life and education. Ida Minerva Tarbell was born on a farm in Erie County, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 1857, to Esther Ann (née McCullough), a teacher, and Franklin Summer Tarbell, a teacher and a joiner and later an oilman. She was born in the log cabin home of her maternal grandfather, Walter Raleigh McCullough, a Scots-Irish pioneer, ...
What is the history of the Standard Oil Company?
Born in Pennsylvania at the onset of the oil boom, Tarbell is best known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company.
Why did McClure publish Standard Oil?
There were a number of reasons why the magazine decided to publish a story on Standard Oil: in particular, Tarbell's own first-hand experience with life in the Pennsylvania oil fields and the fact that Standard Oil was a trust represented by only one person, Rockefeller, and therefore might make the story easier to follow. Tarbell traveled to Europe and met with S. S. McClure to get his buy-in for the idea. McClure had been resting from exhaustion, but Tarbell's article idea spurred him into action. They discussed the idea over many days at a spa in Milan. McClure felt that Tarbell should use the same biographical sketch format she used for Napoleon.
How did Tarbell die?
Reviews were mixed for the book. She was working on another book, Life After Eighty, when she died of pneumonia at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 6, 1944. She had been in the hospital since December 1943. She was 86.
How many siblings did Tarbell have?
Tarbell had three younger siblings: Walter, Franklin, Jr., and Sarah. Franklin, Jr. died of scarlet fever at a young age and Sarah, also afflicted, would remain physically weakened throughout her life. Walter became an oilman like his father, while Sarah was an artist. A Pennsylvania oil field in 1862.
How many people died in the Tarbells?
In total, 18 men were killed, and the Tarbells' mother, Esther, cared for one of the burn victims in their home. In another incident, three women died in a kitchen explosion. Tarbell was not allowed to see the bodies, but she snuck into the room where the women awaited burial.
What Did Ida Tarbell Write About?
What did Ida Tarbell write about? As a writer, Ida Tarbell covered a variety of topics, from history to current events. Many of the series she wrote for McClure's Magazine and other publications were eventually collected, edited, and published as books. In addition, she also wrote an autobiography, "All in the Day's Work." Quotes from her written work remain relevant today.
Who Was Ida Tarbell?
Who was Ida Tarbell? Ida Tarbell was the first great female American journalist. She was one of the most prominent muckrakers during the Progressive Era and is most well known for her work to expose the illegal practices behind the Standard Oil Company's success.
Why did Ida Tarbell expose the Standard Oil Company?
Ida Tarbell exposed the Standard Oil Company because they used predatory practices to buy out their competitors, including her father. She spent five years writing a 19-piece series for McClure's Magazine about the company.
Why is Ida Tarbell so famous?
Ida Tarbell is most famous for her series written to expose the illegal practices Standard Oil used to build their monopoly. As a result of her work, Standard Oil was charged with violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Law, and the monopoly was dissolved.
What was the time period of Ida Tarbell?
She was born during the Gilded Age, a period of time between the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th century where businesses grew rapidly, providing wealth for their owners. Transportation and communication both greatly expanded during this period, allowing for easier transfer of goods and information. Income inequality between the rich business owners and the poor workers grew larger, as businesses tried to maximize profits by keeping wages lower.
How did Tarbell influence journalism?
In her efforts to expose Standard Oil, she set a new standard for investigative journalism by collecting primary sources such as court documents, interviews, and letters to prove that what she was saying was true. Her fact-based research process became the standard for this type of journalism.
What is Ida Tarbell's writing style?
Ida Tarbell's writing was concise and straightforward. Below are a few quotes from her most famous works.
What was Ida Tarbell's book about?
Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company that had destroyed her father’s oil business, as well as many other small oil related companies in Pennsylvania’s oil region in the 1870s. Tarbell’s work entitled “The History of The Standard Oil Company ” was originally published as a series in McClure’s Magazine and later in book form in 1904. It would become a notable example of investigative journalism, know during the Gilded Age as muckraking, that would lead to the Progressive Era in America, and would exposed the shady business practices, most notably the monopoly, of many of the county’s captains of industry.
Who was Ida Tarbell's father?
The family grew prosperous, and Ida was able to attend Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1880. John D. Rockefeller.
Who was the most influential muckraker of the Gilded Age?
Tarbell was one of the most influential muckrakers of the Gilded Age, even though she did not care for the association with the term as she did not consider herself a writer. Her interviews with Standard Oil officials Henry Rogers, arranged by his friend Mark Twain, and Rockefeller’s partner Henry Flagler gave her a great deal of information on Standard Oil’s business practices. It seems the two felt Tarbell was writing a flattering article about the company.
Who wrote the book that exposed Rockefeller's practices?
Thirty years later, Ida Tarbell would write the articles and book that would expose Rockefeller’s practices, but they not totally bring down Standard Oil. In 1911, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered the company broken up into so-called baby Standards.
When was the history of the Standard Oil Company published?
Tarbell’s work entitled “The History of The Standard Oil Company” was originally published as a series in McClure’s Magazine and later in book form in 1904.
Who was the head of Standard Oil?
John D. Rockefeller, the head of The Standard Oil Company based in Cleveland, Ohio, had already begun to build a monopoly over the oil industry buy buying out smaller competitors and forcing many out of business as Standard Oil grew. In 1871, the Cleveland Massacre saw many oil producers in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, including Frank Tarbell, face the choice of sell their companies to the young John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil or try to compete and face financial ruin. Thirty years later, Ida Tarbell would write the articles and book that would expose Rockefeller’s practices, but they not totally bring down Standard Oil. In 1911, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered the company broken up into so-called baby Standards. Today, the remnants of the once mighty Standard Oil are still visible in the form of Chevron and ExxonMobile.
Did Tarbell support the suffrage movement?
Tarbell did not support the suffrage movement, a growing movement attempting to get the right to vote for women, feeling the movement contradicted her own convictions and refused repeated pleas to endorse the movement.
How did Ida Tarbell help change journalism?
Ida Tarbell. Ida Tarbell helped transform journalism by introducing what is called today investigative journalism. Through her achievements, she not only helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society and stimulate the Progressive reform movement, but she also became a role model for women wishing to become professional journalists.
What was the most famous woman journalist of her time?
As the most famous woman journalist of her time, Tarbell founded the American Magazine in 1906. She authored biographies of several important businessmen and wrote a series of articles about an extremely controversial issue of her day, the tariff imposed on goods imported from foreign countries.
Who was the reform journalist who ushered in reform journalism?
Along with other muckrakers like Lincoln Steffens, Ray Stannard Baker, and Upton Sinclair, Tarbell ushered in reform journalism. Ever since, newspapers have played a leading role as the watchdogs and consciences of our political, economic, and social lives. Although Tar bell was not, herself, an advocate of women’s issues or women’s rights, ...
Was Tarbell a woman?
Although Tarbell was not, herself, an advocate of women’s issues or women’s rights, as the most prominent woman active in the muckraking movement and one of the most respected business historians of her generation, Tarbell succeeded in a “male” world ‚Äì the world of journalism, business analysis, and world affairs, thus helping to open the door to other women seeking careers in journalism and, later, in broadcasting.
Who Was Ida Tarbell?
Ida Tarbell was an American journalist born on November 5, 1857, in Erie County, Pennsylvania. She was the only woman in her graduating class at Allegheny College in 1880. The McClure’s magazine journalist was an investigative reporting pioneer; Tarbell exposed unfair practices of the Standard Oil Company, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court decision to break its monopoly.
Where was Ida Tarbell born?
Ida Minerva Tarbell was born on November 5, 1857, in the oil-rich region of northwestern Pennsylvania. Her father was an oil producer and refiner whose livelihood — like many others in the area — was negatively impacted by an 1872 price-fixing scheme concocted by the Pennsylvania Railroad and John D. Rockefeller ’s Standard Oil Company, who were operating under the guise of the South Improvement Company. As a result of their tactics, many of the smaller producers were forced to sell to Standard, and most of those who didn’t — including Tarbell’s father — struggled to keep their businesses afloat. Witnessing the impact of these events on her family and others left a profound impression on the young girl and would prove pivotal in her later life.
What was the purpose of Tarbell's study?
Tarbell’s exhaustive study not only gave rise to a new style of investigative journalism sometimes referred to as muckraking but also was instrumental in the 1911 dismantling of the Standard Oil Company behemoth, which was determined to be in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
What was Nellie Bly known for?
Nellie Bly was known for her pioneering journalism, including her 1887 exposé on the conditions of asylum patients at Blackwell's Island in New York City and her report of her 72-day trip around the world.
When was Tarbell inducted into the Hall of Fame?
In recognition of her achievements, in 2000 Tarbell was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and two years later she was featured as part of a United States Postal Service stamp series commemorating women journalists.
When was the first Standard Oil Company book published?
Titled The History of the Standard Oil Company, the first installment was published by McClure’s in 1902 and was so immediately successful that what had been originally planned as a three-part series was eventually expanded to a 19-part work.
Who was the founder of McClure's magazine?
While in Paris, Tarbell continued to work as a journalist, contributing articles to American magazines. Her work eventually came to the attention of Samuel McClure, founder of the illustrated monthly McClure’s Magazine, which featured both political articles and serialized printings of literary works.
What did Tarbell's study of Standard Oil do?
Tarbell’s study of Standard Oil excoriated Rockefeller and his company and helped spur new legislation and litigation to regulate interstate commerce and counter monopoly. In 1911, the United States Supreme Court broke up the Standard Oil Trust into more than thirty different independent companies. In this excerpt from Tarbell’s book, how does she ...
When was the history of the Standard Oil Company published?
Tarbell’s The History of the Standard Oil Company was first serialized in McClure’s Magazine starting in 1902 and then published as a best-selling book in 1904. Tarbell grew up around the Pennsylvania oil industry, where her father suffered from, and protested, John D. Rockefeller’s business practices.
Overview
Ida Minerva Tarbell (November 5, 1857 – January 6, 1944) was an American writer, investigative journalist, biographer and lecturer. She was one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and pioneered investigative journalism.
Born in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the oil boom, Tarbell is best known fo…
Early life and education
Ida Minerva Tarbell was born on a farm in Erie County, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 1857, to Esther Ann (née McCullough), a teacher, and Franklin Summer Tarbell, a teacher and a joiner and later an oilman. She was born in the log cabin home of her maternal grandfather, Walter Raleigh McCullough, a Scots-Irish pioneer, and his wife. Her father's distant immigrant ancestors ha…
Early career
Tarbell left school wanting to contribute to society but unsure of how to do it, she became a teacher. Tarbell began her career as headmistress at Poland Union Seminary in Poland, Ohio in August 1880. The school was both a high school and provided continuing education courses for local teachers. Tarbell taught classes in geology, botany, geometry, and trigonometry as well as lang…
Paris in the 1890s
Leaving the security of The Chautauquan, Tarbell moved to Paris in 1891 at age 34 to live and work. She shared an apartment on the Rue du Sommerard with three women friends from The Chautauquan. The apartment was within a few blocks of the Panthéon, Notre-Dame de Paris, and the Sorbonne. This was an exciting time in Paris, as the Eiffel Tower had been finished recently in 1889. Ta…
McClure's Magazine
Tarbell had published articles with the syndicate run by publisher Samuel McClure, and McClure had read a Tarbell article called The Paving of the Streets of Paris by Monsieur Alphand, which described how the French carried out large public works. Impressed McClure told his partner John S. Philips, "This girl can write. We need to get her to do some work for our magazine". The magazine he was referring to was McClure's Magazine, a new venture that he and Philips were int…
Standard Oil
By the turn of the twentieth century McClure's began an effort to "expose the ills of American society." Having recently published a series on crime in America and were looking for another big topic to cover, Tarbell and the other editors at McClure's decided to look into the growth of trusts: steel and sugar were both considered before they settled on oil. There were a number of reasons why th…
The American Magazine
Tarbell had written for McClure's from 1894 until 1906. By then, S. S. McClure had become an increasingly absentee publisher, occasionally dropping in to override ideas and Tarbell's orders. She had lost her father the previous year to gastric cancer and S. S. McClure's erratic behavior at the magazine contributed to her stress, as it threatened the stability of the magazine and Tarbell's holdings. This led Tarbell and John Phillips to both resign from McClure's in June 1906, followe…
Women's suffrage
Steve Weinberg wrote that Ida Tarbell was "a feminist by example, but not by ideology". Feminist scholars viewed Tarbell as an enigma as she seemed to both embrace the movement and act as a critic. While her accomplishments were many, Tarbell also challenged and questioned the logic of women's suffrage. Early in life, Tarbell was exposed to the suffragette movement when …