(excerpts from https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/ida-tarbell) Ida Tarbell Ida Tarbell was an American journalist best known for her pioneering investigative reporting that led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly. Updated: May 26, 2021 Photo: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images (1857-1944) 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. Early Life 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. (some content deleted) 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. Tarbell thrived at McClure’s and during her time with the journal authored numerous successful pieces, including popular biographies of Napoleon and Abraham Lincoln. But it was when Tarbell decided to mine her own past that her writing would achieve its greatest effect. 'The History of the Standard Oil Company' Like many young journalists of her era, Tarbell had become concerned by the proliferation of monopolies and trusts. In 1900 she proposed a series of articles in which she would use her experiences as a child during the South Improvement scandal to illustrate her points and spent the next several years deeply immersed in research on the Standard Oil Company and John D. Rockefeller’s business practices. 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. In it she exposed Standard’s often questionable practices, including those surrounding the events that had so greatly impacted her family and others in their area decades earlier. The last installment was published in October 1904, at which point it was collected in a book of the same title. 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.
The breakup of Standard Oil was a failure. Instead of one huge company we got many smaller companies but all still owned and controlled by the same people. Technically the monopoly was ended but practically it continued. Theodore Roosevelt was deeply compromised by Rockefeller money and wasn't of much help in fighting the Rockefellers' political influence. I read Tarbell's work in my twenties. We could consider Standard Oil as an early example of progressive egalitarianism because of their practice of considering women and children as just as much a serious threat as men. I'm looking for a description of one incident where Pinkerton guards working for John D. Rockefeller murdered several strikers along with members of their families. I'll post such when found.
My heavens, @Dwight Ward, I didn't know anyone outside NW PA new about Tarbell. She spent a lot of time in my hometown and her house is still there as a monument to her work, although I think it is in private hands and not open to the public.
Too bad we don't have investigative reporters any more that our representatives would listen to. Or that would present real news instead of what news programs get over 'the wire'.
? I don't understand what that is. I didn't chose blue color writing. This laptop does a lot of weird things. I have learned to conquer some if I stay vigilant. But miss a lot.
It just means that if you put your mouse over that post (that is blue), it is a live link to Dwight's profile. Appears to have happened when you quoted Don's post because his post in the quote is also a link. Strange. ETA--when I test reply to Don's post, it appears that part of it was deleted somehow when you quoted it, so that the "@" designation causes a redirect to the profile. I'm not sure how it happened, though.
My cursor hops all over. I have to correct it if I see it. Sometimes, whole sections of my post are deleted before I see they have been highlighted. This laptop was really cheap, though
Mary, try deleting and reinstalling both your mouse and mouse driver. You can find them in Control Panel under 'devices', I think. I've found windows 10 and 11 to be very buggy, so it may mot be anything you're doing. (later) I'm thinking you might have one of those roller ball thingies on the laptop itself and no actual separate mouse. My advice is no good in that case. I have no experience with laptops.
Thanks Dwight but I have a finger touch pad. I think the frame is loose. If I catch what it is doing, I can fix it. But sometimes I am in a hurry.
I suppose the good ol days wasn't always so good. Money has always ruled the world and always will. The rich aren't the only ones who profit either. It isn't right but nobody has ever changed it, although many have tried.