the man with the muckrake speech summary

with immeasurable harm to the body politic. The wealthy man who exults because there is a failure of justice in the effort to bring some trust magnate to an account for his misdeeds is as bad as, and no worse than, the so-called labor leader who clamorously strives to excite a foul class feeling on behalf of some other labor leader who is implicated in murder. If they fail to get their way they will still do incalculable harm by provoking the kind of reaction which in its revolt against the senseless evil of their teaching would enthrone more securely than ever the evils which their misguided followers believe they are attacking. Albert Beveridge Things are getting tense, in a not-infrequent-casualties kind of way. in Dakota Territory. Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits. We appreciate that the things of the body are important; but we appreciate also that the things of the soul are immeasurably more important. In his speech President Theodore Roosevelt was referring to a character, with a Muckrake in his hand, who was as described as a "man who seeks worldly gain by . The University Of Iowa's Only Student Newspaper. The foundation stone of national life is, and ever must be, the high individual character of the average citizen. Freedom of Speech At this moment we are passing through a period of great unrest social, political, and industrial unrest. Gross and reckless assaults on character, whether on the stump or in newspaper, magazine, or book, create a morbid and vicious public sentiment, and at the same time act as a profound deterrent to able men of normal sensitiveness and tend to prevent them from entering the public service at any price. this people to grapple with the problems connected with the amassing of enormous for distinction from their fellows. The material problems that face us today are not such as they were in the fact that the forces of evil are strong, but it is even worse to fail to In a 1906 speech, during the time known as the Progressive Era, President Theodore Roosevelt warned the American people against muckrakers. action by others which can be construed into an expression of sympathy for Some articles can be customized for reprint in select online or offline publications. Text of speech courtesy of the Program inPresidential Rhetoric,Texas A&M University. Research the issue and write a muckrake-style report of the case. Roosevelt disapproved of journalists whom he considered to be so overly focused on the bad that they failed to notice and report on the good. He was so engrossed raking the muck at his feet that he never looked up to see the celestial crown that was being offered to him. There are beautiful Such journalists today might be referred to as investigative journalists or watchdog journalists. The effort to make financial or political profit out of the destruction of character can only result in public calamity. Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), EIL 4.3 Spenser, Gawain, and Arthurian Context, Teachers and Evaluators for Excellence in Literature, English 4: British Literature category archive. vb. the corporation itself from wrongful aggression. collar work. are passing through a period of great unrest-social, political, and industrial The effort to make financial or political profit out of Heres the Everyday Educator our annual newsletter handout. At the risk of The material problems that face us today are not such as they were in Washington's time, but the underlying facts of human nature are the same now as they were then. Thank you! 1941-1960 Locate early drafts of Roosevelts speech on microfilm, compare them with the speech he delivered on April 14, 1906, and find what he omitted and/or added. April 22, 2023. Shawn Parry-Giles, University of Maryland, VOD Journal Volume 16 (2021): Rhetoric of Civil Rights Issue, VOD Journal Volume 15 (2020): Suffrage Centennial Issue, Copyright Voices of Democracy. repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the If, on the other In other words, they neither believe in the truth of the attack, nor in the honesty of the man who is attacked; they grow as suspicious of the accusation as of the offense; it becomes well nigh hopeless to stir them either to wrath against wrongdoing or to enthusiasm for what is right; and such a mental attitude in the public gives hope to every knave, and is the despair of honest men. 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. But the man who never does anything else, who never 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. who is attacked; they grow as suspicious of the accusation as of the offense; it According to the dictionary, a muckraker is someone who seeks to expose corruption of businesses or government to the public. google_ad_width = 336; harm by provoking the kind of reaction which in its revolt against the senseless It is of the utmost importance for our future that this should prove to Now, it is very necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. This honesty can be no respecter of persons. (5 points) Anger and disdain Good versus evil Investigative versus muck-raking journalism Sociol and economic class differences The muckrakers had arrived.. Bad though a state of hysterical The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s-1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publications. I hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform or in a book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful. This growth in the need for the housing of the government is but a proof and example of the way in which the nation has grown and the sphere of action of the national government has grown. taking the form of punishment of those guilty of the excess, is apt to take the services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping The forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and love and courage and honesty and generosity and sympathy are also stronger than ever before. One of the chief counts against those who make indiscriminate assault upon men in business or men in public life is that they invite a reaction which is sure to tell powerfully in favor of the unscrupulous scoundrel who really ought to be attacked, who ought to be exposed, who ought, if possible, to be put in the penitentiary. Using an impressive combination of the three . pulling down others; but their good must be the prime object of all our ethically we must strive to bring about clean living and right thinking. In his speech, Roosevelt insisted that his 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. timid or foolish, if he is a hot-headed zealot or an impracticable visionary. He was an American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer who became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. the wild preachers of unrest and discontent, the wild agitators against the be not the unrest of mere rebelliousness against life, of mere dissatisfaction The soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even when a scoundrel is untruthfully assailed. We appreciate that the things of the body are important; but we appreciate also that the things of the soul are immeasurably more important. vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. establish a line of cleavage, not along the line which divides good men from 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 con science. It is a prime necessity that if the present unrest is to result in permanent good the emotion shall be translated into action, and that the action shall be marked by honesty, sanity, and self-restraint. 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. take into account the strength of the forces that tell for good. Subheads have been added for easier scanning, and there is a definition of the term "muckrakers" below the speech. google_ad_slot = "7079952559"; What's Up With the Opening Lines? The Man with the Muckrake Summary BACK NEXT Brief Summary The Set-Up The rich and the working class are in a knockdown, drag-out cage-match, and the press is making sure everyone has ringside seats. Tags: americanelocutionjournalismmuckrakermuckrakingpoliticsreformrhetoricrooseveltspeech. slinging does not mean the endorsement of whitewashing; and both the interested If, on the other hand, it turns into a mere crusade of appetite against appetite, of a contest between the brutal greed of the have nots and the brutal greed of the haves, then it has no significance for good, but only for evil. How can they continue to protect your First Amendment right to speak. There is mighty little good in a mere spasm of has disgraced. individual-a tax so framed as to put it out of the power of the owner of one of Text & Image = We now find it necessary to provide by great additional buildings for the business of the government. Privacy Policy. Over a century ago superintendence and control over corporate wealth engaged in interstate 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. lead the people into a deeper pit than any into which they could fall under the to the public at large. Roosevelt says that if the "man with the muckrake" ever does realize the amount of muck on the ground, they might stop striving for the celestial crown and give up, but . Not good. and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil present system. President Roosevelt suggested that some journalists were just like the man with the muck rakefixated solely on the terrible things in the nation. There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced. Gross and reckless assaults on character, whether on the stump or in newspaper, magazine, or book, create a morbid and vicious public sentiment, and at the same time act as a profound deterrent to able men of normal sensitiveness and tend to prevent them from entering the public service at any price. 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. How would you argue with or against him? tendencies for good. Paul is kind, loving, loyal, hard working and ambitious. evil of their teaching would enthrone more securely than ever the evils which On the contrary, there is almost as much of breeching work as of truthful. Such legislation, if so framed, as I am sure it will be, as to secure definite and tangible results, will amount to something of itself; and it will amount to a great deal more in so far as it is taken as a first step in the direction of a policy of superintendence and control over corporate wealth engaged in interstate commerce; this superintendence and control not to be exercised in a spirit of malevolence toward the men who have created the wealth, but with the firm purpose both to do justice to them and to see that they in their turn do justice to the public at large. If they get their way they will healthy life. they neither believe in the truth of the attack, nor in the honesty of the man 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? than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. carbon fiber interior for mustang; sparrow laboratory hours; california energy commission executive director; bruno's little italy lasagna recipe; cheyenne wyoming news police blotter between the brutal greed of the "have nots" and the brutal greed of the "haves," If not, are there any updated metaphors that apply better to todays investigative reporting? oscillations such excitement invariably produces, yet a sodden acquiescence in -raked, -raking. Of course, no amount of charity in spending such fortunes in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. In "Pilgrim's indiscriminate assault upon character does no good, but very great harm. He understands the worries of the common people and the not so common. 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. these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one What is a muckrake? crime. untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the We now administer the affairs of a nation in which the extraordinary growth of population has been outstripped by the growth of wealth in complex interests. That is, after all, what Theodore Roosevelt was advocating in his speech. But in addition to Muckraker Muckraker is the word used to describe any Progressive Era journalist who investigated and publicized social and economic injustices. How would you like them to vote on upcoming free speech measures? Most Americans would have been familiar with the characters, Christian and Christiana, and the story of how they struggled through their allegorical journey to reach Heaven. If the whole Students will describe Roosevelts stance on the progressive tax and fortunes, and analyze how it fits into the overall logical syllogism that forms his speech. This doesn't change what you pay, and it does help me keep the websites online. will amount to something of itself; and it will amount to a great deal more in The men with the muck rakes are often indispensable to the well being of society; but only if they know when to stop raking the muck, and to look upward to the celestial crown above them, to the crown of worthy endeavor.

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