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Jacob Riis, "The Slum is the Measure of Civilization."
Jacob Riis was I ne of the many leading Muckrakers honing to expose through writing and publicizing. Riis's main and most sought after achievement was exposing the poor living conditions of those in the slums of New York City. His astounding work lead him to publish books, and to later be brought to the attention of Theodore Roosevelt. After the recognition, they became close friends and went on late-night excursions for more evidence of the poor conditions of the New Yorkers. -
Frederick Taylor,“In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first.”
Taylor, an American Engineer, pushed for greater industrial efficiency. This, in turn, led to him getting well-known for being one of the first leaders in the Efficiency Movement. This then made working conditions stricter and more productive as the workers were required to follow and obey all of the orders given by whoever was in charge. As time went on, more and more companies began following the same steps, leading them to be more successful and expanding business during the Progressive Era. -
Ida Tarbell, "There is no more effective medicine to apply to feverish public sentiment than figures."
The American journalist Ida Tarbell was born on November 5, 1857, in Erie County, Pennsylvania. She was an investigative reporting pioneer for "The McClures Magazine", and Tarbell showed unfair practices of the Standard Oil Company, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court decision to break its controversy. The author of an variey of acclaimed works, died on January 6, 1944. -
Theodore Roosevelt, "Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been effort stored up in the past."
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, played a huge role during the Progressive Era. During his eight-year presidency, he made a large impact on large companies and multiple other issues. During the beginning of his presidency, he tapped into the heart of reformers. He and his colleagues ended up having antitrust cases against large companies, such as Swift Beef and Northern Security. -
William Howard Taft, "Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood."
William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States. Taft supported Teddy Roosevelt's "Square Deal" policy of attempting to strike a balance between employers, employees, conservatives, and Progressives. It soon became impossible to please everyone, because Taft did not have Roosevelt's personal charisma. Over time, he resulted in pleasing conservatives more often than Progressives. His administration ended up causing more antitrust suits than Roosevelt.
