Though Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle shocked the American public into a thorough examination of the meat-packing industry, the author was disappointed that his book's main argument—the exploitation of American immigrants—was not part of the larger discussion. Young historians take a closer look at Sinclair's claims, evidence, and conclusion before analyzing the contributions of Theodore Roosevelt and Harvey Washington Wiley to consumer welfare reform.

Concepts

upton sinclair, theodore roosevelt, progressivism, the progressive era, the jungle, muckraking, consumer awareness

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Assign the reading for homework the night before class discussion
• Create a cross-curricular assignment in which social studies classes investigate the history of consumer rights legislation, science classes conduct experiments on spoiled food and preservation, and language arts classes read The Jungle

Classroom Considerations

• The first of a two-lesson unit found here
• Lesson requires two class periods
• Designed for middle school classrooms but applicable for high schoolers as well

Pros

• Only requires pupils to read an excerpt (chapter 14) of the book for prior knowledge
• Provides thought-provoking discussion questions and writing prompts

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.6-8.8 RH.6-8.9 RH.6-8.10