Ida Tarbell

Ida Minerva Tarbell was born on November 5, 1857 and died January 6, 1944. She was an American journalist, author, and teacher. She was a social reformer and one of the leading "muckrakers" of the progressive era. She wrote many known magazine series and biographies. Her multiple contributions in McClure's Magazine lead to her having her own book in 1904, in which she was best known for, The History of the Standard Oil Company, and a new magazine. She researched industrial and corporate corruption. She had started working with exposing fraud in political lawlessness and big businesses. Her attack was meant for Rockefeller for having so much control of his business.

Her book inspired many other journalists to write about trusts and large businesses that attempted to gain monopolies in various industries. This book was credited with the breakup of Standard Oil, which came about in 1911, when the Supreme Court found the company to be violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

This political cartoon represents Ida because she exposed the control the standard oil company had taken over and that's what this photo represents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yog7FyAFyA

This video gives you an overview of her life and helps you to understand why she would even want to expose this company to the public.