Question

Muckrakers were farmers who, dissatisfied with the government's refusal

to enact favorable laws, transported tons of manure to Capitol Hill where
the dumped it in the Senate chamber. True or false

Answer 1

The claim that muckrakers were farmers who dumped manure is false; they were journalists who exposed societal problems during the Progressive Era, which led to reform.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that muckrakers were farmers who dumped manure on Capitol Hill is false. Muckrakers were investigative journalists and writers during the Progressive Era who exposed problems in American society, such as corrupt politics, poor working conditions, and questionable living conditions of the working class. Their work aimed to provoke outrage and inspire the public to demand societal change and reform. President Theodore Roosevelt, a self-identified Progressive, was the one who coined the term muckrakers, referring to a character in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress who was preoccupied with raking filth and never looked up to heaven.

Notable muckraker Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle highlighted the unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry, leading to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the creation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The term muckraker eventually became associated with journalistic exposés that targeted various societal issues, and it was their investigative work that played a significant role in initiating policy changes during the Progressive Era.