However, there was one man who truly coined the term of "muckraker," and he spoke softly, and carried a big stick. High School Lesson Plan created for Voices of Democracy by Michael J. Steudeman, University of Maryland. Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits. corporation. Let's roast that turkey!. betterment. At the risk of 1941-1960 On the other hand, An epidemic of indiscriminate assault upon character does no good, but very great harm. Read someof Theodore Roosevelt's lettersto his children. Some of the most famous muckrakers were women, including Ida Tarbell and Ida B. making a beginning in the direction of serious effort to settle some of these Patrick Buchanan, Heather Brook Adams The effort to make financial or political profit out of Over a century ago Washington laid the cornerstone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. poise indispensable to the permanent success of self-government. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. But if they did succeed they would find that they had sown the wind and would surely reap the whirlwind, for they would ultimately provoke the violent excesses which accompany a reform coming by convulsion instead of by steady and natural growth. the average citizen. In summary, his speech declared that it is good for reporters to state . forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and The Interpreter shows them that their faith can overcome even the deadly venom of such a spider. point, I may mention that one serious difficulty encountered in getting the Would the speech have been strengthened or weakened if he included the omitted passages? The first requisite in the public servants who are to deal in this shape with corporations, whether as legislators or as executives, is honesty. who today are trying to prevent the regulation and control of their business in Theodore Roosevelt applied the term in his important speech in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1906, entitled "The Man With the Muck-Rake." The soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even when a scoundrel is untruthfully assailed. look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself Such journalists today might be referred to as investigative journalists or watchdog journalists. It is about some of these that I wish to say a word today. Relevant Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts. There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. } is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there If the whole picture is painted black there remains no hue whereby to single out the rascals for distinction from their fellows. that I ask the war be conducted with sanity as well as with resolution. Muckrake is searching and writing controversial things about famous people. University of Maryland repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the oscillations such excitement invariably produces, yet a sodden acquiescence in utterly reckless assaults on their character and capacity. The backbone of Teddy Roosevelt's speech is the idea of the Man with the Muck. Supplement this with a class discussion about gruesome depictions of factory conditions in Upton Sinclairs The Jungle and Jacob Riiss photojournalistic expos of immigrant tenements in New York City. Civil Rights take into account the strength of the forces that tell for good. William Jennings Bryan Shawn J. Parry-Giles tendencies for good. There is any amount of good in the world, and there never was a time when loftier and more disinterested work for the betterment of mankind was being done than now. College Park, MD 20742-7635, Questions/comments about the VOD website may be directed to We now find it necessary to provide by great additional buildings for the business of the government. This truth should be kept constantly in mind by every free people desiring to preserve the sanity and poise indispensable to the permanent success of self-government. admitted evils of our political and industrial life with such crude and sweeping untruth. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. What free speech initiatives would you like them to advance? There results a general attitude either of cynical belief in and indifference to public corruption or else of a distrustful inability to discriminate between the good and the bad. Assess the implications of such terms. . google_ad_slot = "7079952559"; Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits. Best Man Speech for Brother of Groom. We now find it necessary to provide by great additional buildings for the business of the government. Materially we must strive to secure a broader economic opportunity for all men, so that each shall have a better chance to show the stuff of which he is made. Sitemap will amount to something of itself; and it will amount to a great deal more in muckrake (mkrek) v.i. We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won and fortunes ill won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law honesty. | other hand, it is vital not to permit this spirit of sanity and self-command to Excellence in Literature by Janice Campbell 2023. -raked, -raking. This honesty can be no respecter of persons. commandment reads, "Thou shalt not steal." Yet, on the collar work. Subheads have been added for easier scanning, and there is a definition of the term "muckrakers" below the speech. There is nothing more distressing to every good patriot, to every good American, than the hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man as a cause for laughter. Privacy Policy. persons. Such painting finally induces a kind of evil is even worse. He uses metaphors and hyperboles to further express his concern back up his reasoning. There can be no such thing as unilateral honesty. commerce; this superintendence and control not to be exercised in a spirit of It does not read, "Thou shalt not steal from the poor exposed, both without, and, I am sorry to say, sometimes within, Congress, to Some persons are sincerely incapable of understanding that to denounce mud slinging does not mean the endorsement of whitewashing; and both the interested individuals who need whitewashing and those others who practice mud slinging like to encourage such confusion of ideas. On the contrary, there is almost as much of breeching work as of collar work. More important than aught else is the development of the broadest sympathy of man for man. Examining Roosevelt's rhetorical intentions . It is about some of these that I wish to say a word today. To assail the great and admitted evils of our political and industrial life with such crude and sweeping generalizations as to include decent men in the general condemnation means the searing of the public conscience. There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he At this moment we are passing through a period of great unrest -- social, political, and industrial unrest. TR calls on Americans to participate in political life. He understands the worries of the common people and the not so common. the destruction of character can only result in public calamity. Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more The Man with the Muckrake Analysis Back Study Guide The Man with the Muckrake Analysis By Theodore Roosevelt Advertisement - Guide continues below Rhetoric Structure Writing Style What's Up With the Title? There is any Students will analyze how Roosevelt appropriates the muck-rake character from Bunyan to generate a metaphor about these two different types of journalism. reckless assaults on character, whether on the stump or in newspaper, magazine, In her 1939 memoir, Ida Tarbell wrote that Roosevelt had misread his Bunyan, and had become uneasy at the effect on the public of the periodical press's increasing criticisms and investigations of business and political abuses. If the whole It may be said that being good American citizens means being ethical public communicators. Tags: americanelocutionjournalismmuckrakermuckrakingpoliticsreformrhetoricrooseveltspeech. College Park, MD 20742-7635, Questions/comments about the VOD website may be directed to In his Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. In "Pilgrim's Progress" the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. Having affiliate links means that if you click on a link I've posted and purchase something, I receive a small percentage of the cost. That is, after all, what Theodore Roosevelt was advocating in his speech. proposing any substitute for what they intend to destroy, or who propose a righteousness. crime itself. It is important to lead the people into a deeper pit than any into which they could fall under the The work of muckrakers influenced the passage of key legislation that strengthened protections for workers and consumers. InPilgrim's Progressthe Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. This year we are making a beginning in the direction of serious effort to settle some of these economic problems by the railway rate legislation. If a public man is willing to yield to popular clamor and do wrong to the men of wealth or to rich corporations, it may be set down as certain that if the opportunity comes he will secretly and furtively do wrong to the public in the interest of a corporation. There should be relentless exposure of Using an impressive combination of the three . If you were to speak out about a public issue important to you and your communityfor example, lets say you would like to speak out against a new highway being put through the center of your townwhere would you go to be heard? Either attitude is fraught with untold damage to the country as a whole. If The Man with the Muckrake Speech -President Theodore Roosevelt A Time for Choosing -President Ronald Reagan from Self Reliance -Ralph Waldo Emerson In Defense of Native Religion -Red Jacket, Chief of the Seneca Why I Went to the Woods -Henry David Thoreau Choosing a Dream -Mario Puzo [American Dream] Muck-rake- n. The material problems that face us today are not such as they were in welfare of the wage worker, the welfare of the tiller of the soil, upon these hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man to search for and expose corruption, scandal, or the like, esp. The danger is not really from corrupt corporations; it springs from the corruption itself, whether exercised for or against corporations. Not all businesses spend their free time twirling their Snidely Whiplash mustaches and petting their white cats, and if we kill that stereotype, we can acknowledge the businesses that are actually doing some good out there. Expose the crime, and hunt down the criminal; but remember that even in the case of crime, if it is attacked in sensational, lurid, and untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the crime itself. them from entering the public service at any price. right type of men to dig the Panama canal is the certainty that they will be Citizenship & Civic Identity Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. Social & Economic Justice Theodore Roosevelt applied the term in his important speech in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1906, entitled The Man With the Muck-Rake.. fraught with untold damage to the country as a whole. Any excess is almost sure to invite a reaction; and, unfortunately, the reactions instead of taking the form of punishment of those guilty of the excess, is apt to take the form either of punishment of the unoffending or of giving immunity, and even strength, to offenders. present system. President Theodore Roosevelt, "The Man with the Muck-Rake," 1906 Progressive reform in the early decades of the twentieth century depended upon journalism as an important tool to raise public awareness of serious societal problems. we strive for reform we find that it is not at all merely the case of a long First, he had to persuade Americans that a progressive tax on the rich was important in providing the security and general welfare of all Americans. What potential obstacles might you face? ukraine can only fight russia with commander zoro a jew to lead substitute which would be far worse than the existing evils-all these men are of wealth and forgets the misdeeds practiced at their expense; which denounces This passage is adapted from a speech delivered in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, "TheMan with the MuckRake." In [the novel] Pilgrim'sProgress the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth asthe example of him whose Vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. Wells. As we strive for reform we find that it is not at all merely the case of a long uphill pull. The Man with the Muck Rake is a memorable speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. bribery, but blinds itself to blackmail; which foams with rage if a corporation in the public servants who are to deal in this shape with corporations, whether The fool who has We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won and fortunes ill won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law honesty. I hail as a benefactor Some persons are sincerely incapable of understanding that to denounce mud But the man who never does anything else, who never thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck rake, speedily becomes, not a help but one of the most potent forces for evil. At the risk of repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the most unsparing exposure of, the politician who betrays his trust, of the big business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. There is any amount of good in the world, and there never was a time when loftier and more disinterested work for the betterment of mankind was being done than now. honesty, we need sanity. untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the Subheads have been added for easier scanning, and there is a definition of the term muckrakers below the speech. Bad though a state of hysterical excitement is, and evil though the results are which come from the violent oscillations such excitement invariably produces, yet a sodden acquiescence in evil is even worse. The liar is no whit better than the thief, and if his mendacity takes the form of slander he may be worse than most thieves. excitement is, and evil though the results are which come from the violent The Man with the Muck Rake by Theodore Roosevelt necessity that if the present unrest is to result in permanent good the emotion to the public at large. To help students understand how Roosevelt drew from source material, have students read and analyze pages 25 to 26 of the book from Chapel Library online. discontent with evil, of a determination to punish the authors of evil, whether government. In British use, the derogatory term muckraker is more likely to mean a journalist (often on a tabloid newspaper) who specializes in scandal and malicious gossip about well-known personalities. On the contrary, there is almost as much of breeching work as of collar work. Research the issue and write a muckrake-style report of the case. Students will determine Roosevelts stance on both the pros and cons of muckraking. Sw edgwick, Ellery, "The Man with the Muckrake," American Magazine 62 (May 1906): 111-12 Sinclair, Upton, "The Muckrake Men," Independent 65 (Sept 3, 1908): 517-19 RETURN TO BIBLIOGRAPHY / PROGRESSIVISM HOME PAGE Ecclesiastical Polity that fine old Elizabethan divine, Bishop Hooker, wrote: He that goeth about moral color blindness; and people affected by it come to the conclusion that no 1961-1980 But if they did succeed they would find that they had sown the wind and would surely reap the whirlwind, for they would ultimately provoke the violent excesses which accompany a reform coming by convulsion instead of by steady and natural growth. Over a century ago He was a leader of the Republican Party (GOP) and . Now, it is very did succeed they would find that they had sown the wind and would surely reap "The Man With the Muckrake" by Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt wants to show that he is both a business man and a reformer. But they're only going to be solved if people understand that the problems are solvable to begin with. Kicking Bear It is important to this people to grapple with the problems connected with the amassing of enormous fortunes, and the use of those fortunes, both corporate and individual, in business. The modern term . google_ad_width = 336; Pilgrims Progress is an optional Honors text in Module 1.9 of Introduction to Literature, Excellence in Literature, English 1 (link opens at study guide home page). Hysterical sensationalism is the poorest weapon wherewith to fight for lasting righteousness. under a pot, for it denotes not merely the vacant mind, but the heart in which eager ambition to secure the betterment of the individual and the nation. U.S. Internationalism Muckraking journalists in Roosevelts era included Ray Stannard Baker, Louis Brandeis, Frances Kellor, Edwin Markham, Frank Norris, Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffans, Ida Tarbell, and Ida B. The fool who has not sense to discriminate between what is good and what is bad is well nigh as dangerous as the man who does discriminate and yet chooses the bad. better than the thief, and if his mendacity takes the form of slander he may be Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Through a series of questions about early-1900s modes of transportation, prime students to think about what a muck-raker does (cleans up horse manure). In pairs or on their own, have students parse out the two factors the muck-raker is torn between: the vile and debasing muck and the celestial crown.. If the whole picture is painted black there remains no hue whereby to single out the rascals for distinction from their fellows. As a matter of personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate the system, I feel that we shall ultimately have to consider the adoption of some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond a certain amount, either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any individual-a tax so framed as to put it out of the power of the owner of one of these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one individual; the tax of course, to be imposed by the national and not the state government.

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the man with the muckrake speech summary