Good Afternoon!

Grab your sheets from last class.

To begin class

If you haven’t done so already, complete the Social Darwinism vs. Social Gospel chart in the pairs you worked in last class.

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When you are finished, slide this sheet into your portfolio and take a packet from the front table.

Today’s Guiding Questions and Objectives

Guiding Questions

• How did Industrial Era journalists and writers use their talents to influence political and social change in the United States during the early 20th century?
• What were working conditions like for immigrants and the urban poor during the early 1900s, and why were these significant?

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Objectives

Today, you will be able to:

• Use evidence to prove the historical significance of the Chicago meatpacking industry
• Work with peers in order to piece together a greater understanding of how historical trends unfolded.

Quick Think:

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What do you expect of the businesses that process the food your family purchases?

Do you hold high expectations?

Today, we go back to 1904, when Upton Sinclair and “muckrakers” exposed the meatpacking industry.

Key terms to understand:

• Muckraker: A writer, photographer, or artist who seeks to expose a social injustice, especially in the workplace
• Upton Sinclair: An American writer and novelist who sought to expose the inhumanity and cruelty of the Chicago meatpacking industry
• The Jungle: Work of fiction published in 1904 by Upton Sinclair that was based on his experience observing Chicago meatpacking facilities

Who was Upton Sinclair?

• American novelist/muckraker (1878-1968)
• Wrote about numerous industrialists and their business practices
• Seen as one of the first authors to expose malpractice in industrial America.
• Goal was to get a rise out of the public
• “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident, I hit it in the stomach

The Jungle (1904)

• Novel written by Upton Sinclair-based on true events
• Portrays the working lives of immigrants
• Exposes the following:
• “Wage slavery”
• Inhumane butchering practices
• Filth of the American workplace
• Diseases/injuries of factory workers
• Key factor in US Congress passing the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906

Time to read about the meats!

How we’ll do so...

1. I have prepared for us 5 excerpts from Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
2. Each selection is numbered-so, you’ll be working in groups once we finish the reading.
3. As you read, feel free to mark up the text. Make note of evidence that stands out to you, makes you a little sick, or just makes you scratch your head in wonder.
4. Also, if you don’t understand a term or phrase that I have not already marked.
5. When you finish , simply wait for the next instructions

To begin, I will read a snapshot of each excerpt

Find your number groups.

In your reading groups, work with one another to process the information in the text.

Using the sheet provided, complete the following tasks:

• Explain in depth what you believe to be the main idea of your selection. Use one piece of evidence to support this idea.
• What is the most disgusting piece of information you read about?
• Make note of specific evidence that outlines cruel and inhumane labor practices.