EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY
Many progressives were writers who opened Americans’ eyes with their work, in which they pointed out
previously overlooked problems. Progressive muckrakers like Upton Sinclair found an ally in the federal
government to help promote social reform—Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief chemist at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Wiley in turn found a champion in President Theodore Roosevelt, who drove the passage of the Pure
Food and Drug Act (1906) that created the Food and Drug Administration.
Reformers are explorers. They promote ideas that are new, risky, and often unpopular and untested. They
inevitably encounter some who encourage their viewpoint as well as others who vehemently oppose it. Such
encounters—often recorded in newspapers, political cartoons, and popular culture—make up the dialog in a
democratic society. Over time, an exchange occurs. Some new ideas are adopted outright and become part of the
status quo; some are altered and edited, while others are completely rejected.
Connections to Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6-8.8 Distinguish between fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Lieteracy.WHST6-8.1.A Introduce claims about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim
from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
Connections to C3 Framework:
D2.His.1.6-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
D2.His.16.6-8. Organize applicable evidence into a coherent argument about the past
Documents Used:
All documents can be accessed at www.nhd.org/themebook.
Primary Sources
Activity 1:
• Excerpt from Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle
historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5727.html
Activity 2:
Political Cartoon:
• “An Awful Case of June Odors,” The Evening World, June 9, 1906
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1906-06-09/ed-1/seq-3/
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