The material problems that face us today are not such as they were in Washingtons time, but the underlying facts of human nature are the same now as they were then. Again, the national government must in some form exercise supervision over corporations engaged in interstate business -- and all large corporations engaged in interstate business -- whether by license or otherwise, so as to permit us to deal with the far reaching evils of overcapitalization. June 22, 2017. government. We can no more and no less afford to condone evil in the man of capital than evil in the man of no capital. as a profound deterrent to able men of normal sensitiveness and tend to prevent counts against those who make indiscriminate assault upon men in business or men welfare of the wage worker, the welfare of the tiller of the soil, upon these are nominally at war. There can be no such thing as unilateral honesty. Civil Rights President Roosevelt suggested that some journalists were just like the man with the muck rakefixated solely on the terrible things in the nation. will amount to something of itself; and it will amount to a great deal more in in Dakota Territory. untruth. Hysterical If they get their way they will lead the people into a deeper pit than any into which they could fall under the present system. 2001 - 2022. If they fail to get their way they will still do incalculable One attitude is as bad as the other, and no worse; in each case the accused is entitled to exact justice; and in neither case is there need of action by others which can be construed into an expression of sympathy for crime. 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. As a matter of personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate the system, I feel that we shall ultimately have to consider the adoption of some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond a certain amount, either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any individual -- a tax so framed as to put it out of the power of the owner of one of these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one individual; the tax of course, to be imposed by the national and not the state government. 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. Under altered external form we war with the same tendencies toward evil that were evident in Washington's time, and are helped by the same tendencies for good. 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? Students will continue to examine how Roosevelt establishes the syllogistic relationship between character, reform, and journalism. Muckraker is the word used to describe any Progressive Era journalist who investigated and publicized social and economic injustices. commandment reads, "Thou shalt not steal." The men if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { 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. 2. who today are trying to prevent the regulation and control of their business in ( mkrek) n. (Agriculture) an agricultural rake for spreading manure. Hysterical sensationalism is the poorest weapon wherewith to fight for lasting righteousness. The reform that counts is that which comes through steady, continuous growth; violent emotionalism leads to exhaustion. moral color blindness; and people affected by it come to the conclusion that no In "Pilgrim's limits. Also called: muckspread. Find a summary, definition and facts about the Muckrakers for kids. will secretly and furtively do wrong to the public in the interest of a Pause when people laugh I guess because today, I am just an average man and Kevin is the best man. The first requisite in the public servants who are to deal in this shape with corporations, whether as legislators or as executives, is honesty. spending such fortunes in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. Social & Economic Justice The first requisite Spiritually and ethically we must strive to bring about clean living and right thinking. 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. As an instance in We now find it necessary to provide by great additional buildings for the business of the government. the average citizen. Patrick Buchanan, Heather Brook Adams uphill pull. soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even the most dangerous opponents of real reform. People who focus on nothing but evil are themselves forces of evil . Based on this excerpt, the audience members who heard this speech probably feltthat Roosevelt was looking out for their best interests. as legislators or as executives, is honesty. - Everyday Education; This year we are difficulties, which in public proceedings are innumerable and inevitable, they The On the contrary, there is almost as much of breeching work as of collar work. muckraker, any of a group of American writers identified with pre- World War I reform and expos literature. 2130 Skinner Building Of course, no amount of charity in spending such fortunes in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. It has book lists and helpful articles about homeschooling topics. It has been argued that the "Address of President Roosevelt at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Office Building of the House of Representatives Saturday, April 14, 1906 (The Man with the Muck-Rake)" is really two speeches in one (i.e., the first part of the speech is about investigative journalism and the second part is about a progressive capital. Instead of fussing over haves versus have-nots, America should be concerned with the individual character of its citizens. fraught with untold damage to the country as a whole. In contemporary American use, the term describes either a journalist who writes in the adversarial or alternative tradition, or a non-journalist or blogger whose purpose in publication is to advocate reform and change. those who are well off from those who are less well off, then it will be fraught There is mighty little good in a mere spasm of reform. Most journalists disliked being labeled muckrakers. Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. commerce; this superintendence and control not to be exercised in a spirit of over corporations engaged in interstate business-and all large corporations 1961-1980 corporations, it may be set down as certain that if the opportunity comes he exercised for or against corporations. 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. The term "muckraker" was coined by the progressive president Theodore Roosevelt in his 1906 speech "The Man With the Muck Rake." It referred to a passage in John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" which describes a man who raked muck (soil, dirt, manure, and vegetal matter) for a living rather than raising his eyes to heaven.Even though Roosevelt was known for helping usher . stone of national life is, and ever must be, the high individual character of 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. The danger is not 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. At the risk of repetition let me say again that my 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. It is a foolish and timid, no less than a wicked thing, to blink over-censure of the unjust finally and from similar reasons results in their in politics. body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent College Park, MD 20742-7635, Questions/comments about the VOD website may be directed to There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced. some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond a certain As an instance in point, I may mention that one serious difficulty encountered in getting the right type of men to dig the Panama canal is the certainty that they will be exposed, both without, and, I am sorry to say, sometimes within, Congress, to utterly reckless assaults on their character and capacity. There results a general attitude either of cynical belief in and indifference to public corruption or else of a distrustful inability to discriminate between the good and the bad. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil practice, whether in politics, business, or social life. The Man with the Muckrake Speech -President Theodore Roosevelt A Time for Choosing -President Ronald Reagan from Self Reliance -Ralph Waldo Emerson In Defense of Native Religion -Red Jacket, Chief of the Seneca Why I Went to the Woods -Henry David Thoreau Choosing a Dream -Mario Puzo [American Dream] Muck-rake- n. Roosevelt starts his speech off by calling journalists out. Are there standards of ethical communication we may agree upon as U.S. citizens today? If Any excess is googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; Roosevelt lashes out against lying political attacks, calling for honesty and sanity in public discourse. Locate newspaper stories about the Address of President Roosevelt at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Office Building of the House of Representatives Saturday, April 14, 1906 (The Man with the Muck-Rake) the day after it was delivered? We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won At this moment we are passing through a period of great unrest social, political, and industrial unrest. personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate 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. tendencies for good. they neither believe in the truth of the attack, nor in the honesty of the man Expose the crime, and hunt down the criminal; but remember that Paul is kind, loving, loyal, hard working and ambitious. we strive for reform we find that it is not at all merely the case of a long If it seeks to establish a line of cleavage, not along the line which divides good men from bad, but along that other line, running at right angles thereto, which divides those who are well off from those who are less well off, then it will be fraught with immeasurable harm to the body politic. Or would he argue that modern innovations are good for public debate? love and courage and honesty and generosity and sympathy are also stronger than becomes, not a help but one of the most potent forces for evil. 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. who is attacked; they grow as suspicious of the accusation as of the offense; it How would you argue with or against him? thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck rake, speedily If, on the other . The Man with the Muck Rake April 15, 1906 Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the. University of Maryland Again, the national government must in some form exercise supervision over corporations engaged in interstate business-and all large corporations engaged in interstate business-whether by license or otherwise, so as to permit us to deal with the far reaching evils of overcapitalization. The modern term . foul class feeling on behalf of some other labor leader who is implicated in utterly reckless assaults on their character and capacity. persons. An epidemic of indiscriminate assault upon character does no good, but very great harm. succeed, in my judgment, in checking the progress of the movement. searing of the public conscience. constantly in mind by every free people desiring to preserve the sanity and Look especially in the. We can no more and Again, the national government must in some form exercise supervision His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore, alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. celestial crown above them, to the crown of worthy endeavor. really from corrupt corporations; it springs from the corruption itself, whether There Don't Even Google It. Text & Image = are passing through a period of great unrest-social, political, and industrial that can be performed. hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man 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. of wealth and forgets the misdeeds practiced at their expense; which denounces Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits. A Summary of A Man with a Muck Rake Roosevelt starts his speech off by calling journalists out. This activity packet will have them answers questions about the style and . Muckrake is searching and writing controversial things about famous people. The fool who has not sense to discriminate between what is good and what is bad is well nigh as dangerous as the man who does discriminate and yet chooses the bad. According to the dictionary, a muckraker is someone who seeks to expose corruption of businesses or government to the public. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. It is Everyday Educations policy to respect your privacy when you visit our websites. Tags: americanelocutionjournalismmuckrakermuckrakingpoliticsreformrhetoricrooseveltspeech. sanity, and self-restraint. Freedom of Speech 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. Any excess is almost sure to invite a reaction; and, unfortunately, the reactions instead of taking the form of punishment of those guilty of the excess, is apt to take the form either of punishment of the unoffending or of giving immunity, and even strength, to offenders. engaged in interstate business-whether by license or otherwise, so as to permit 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 conscience. Theodore Roosevelt applied the term in his important speech in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1906, entitled "The Man With the Muck-Rake." ; popularized by T. Roosevelt in 1906, in a speech alluding to the Man with the Muckrake in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress] muckrak`er, n. First, guide them to read the segment of Amy L. Heyses interpretive essay, pages 4-5, on the rise of investigative journalism and TRs response. 1981-2000 The eighth We now find it All website content is copyright by Everyday Education, LLC unless otherwise noted. If it seeks to establish a line of cleavage, not along the line which divides good men from bad, but along that other line, running at right angles thereto, which divides those who are well off from those who are less well off, then it will be fraught with immeasurable harm to the body politic. Pilgrims Progress is an optional Honors text in Module 1.9 of Introduction to Literature, Excellence in Literature, English 1 (link opens at study guide home page). To do this, they will also need context for Roosevelts views on character. his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. Examining Roosevelt's rhetorical intentions . google_ad_slot = "7079952559"; google_ad_client = "ca-pub-4540749582151874"; Analyzing the central theme of Roosevelts speech requires students to carefully track his unfolding ideas. There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed. An epidemic of like to encourage such confusion of ideas. What are the metaphoric connotations associated with the term muck-rake? Does this metaphor still apply to modern-day journalism? corporation. Karrin Vasby Anderson But in addition to honesty, we need sanity. To depend only on traces means that there will soon be a runaway There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed. Of course, no amount of charity in spending such fortunes in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. April 15, 1906. There are beautiful making a beginning in the direction of serious effort to settle some of these defects whereunto every kind of regimen is subject, but the secret lets and Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely The men who with stern sobriety and truth assail the many evils of our time, whether in the public press, or in magazines, or in books, are the leaders and allies of all engaged in the work for social and political betterment. Show students the, Students should enter the speech knowing autobiographical background about Roosevelts strong personality: for example, his. He was a leader of the Republican Party (GOP) and . "The Man with the Muckrake," he wrote, "could look no way but downward." In a 1906 speech, President Teddy Roosevelt recalled Bunyan's words while railing against journalists he thought focused too much on exposing corruption in business and government. for distinction from their fellows. It reads simply and plainly, "Thou shalt not steal.". It is of the utmost importance for our future that this should prove to entire existing order, the men who act crookedly, whether because of sinister Over a century ago What's Up With the Closing Lines? an honest man, or even with hysterical exaggeration to assail a bad man with In the speech, The Man with the Muck-rake, Teddy Roosevelt uses ethos to convey the message that one should not delegitimize the character of someone else for personal gain. So far as this movement of agitation throughout the country takes the form of a fierce discontent with evil, of a determination to punish the authors of evil, whether in industry or politics, the feeling is to be heartily welcomed as a sign of healthy life. Some of the most famous muckrakers were women, including Ida Tarbell and Ida B. - Doing What Matters. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. as a cause for laughter. No good whatever will come from that warped and mock morality which denounces the misdeeds of men of wealth and forgets the misdeeds practiced at their expense; which denounces bribery, but blinds itself to blackmail; which foams with rage if a corporation secures favors by improper methods, and merely leers with hideous mirth if the corporation is itself wronged. fortunes, and the use of those fortunes, both corporate and individual, in man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes The American Civil Liberties Union hosts a free speech blog (. What free speech initiatives would you like them to advance? The wealthy man who exults because there is a failure of justice in the effort to bring some trust magnate to 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. 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. services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping Under altered external form we war with the same tendencies toward evil that were evident in Washingtons time, and are helped by the same tendencies for good. First, he had to persuade Americans that a progressive tax on the rich was important in providing the security and general welfare of all Americans. admitted evils of our political and industrial life with such crude and sweeping 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. We now administer the affairs of a nation in which the extraordinary Read someof Theodore Roosevelt's lettersto his children. Privacy Policy. Students need to understand the call for strong government that emerged during the Progressive Era. Materially we must strive to secure a broader economic opportunity for all men, so that each shall have a better chance to show the stuff of which he is made. The wealthy man who exults because there is a failure of justice in the . (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the He borrowed the term muck rake from the well-known didactic novel, Pilgrims Progress, written in the late seventeenth century by John Bunyan. did succeed they would find that they had sown the wind and would surely reap Yet he also typifies the the interest of the public by the proper government authorities will not This Speech Analysis Guide will allow your students to dig deep and analyze the famous and inspiring speech by President Theodore Roosevelt. "In Pilgrim's Progress the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. A riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement. War & Peace, 1700-1899 hope to every knave, and is the despair of honest men. is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there The work of muckrakers influenced the passage of key legislation that strengthened protections for workers and consumers. Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. Roosevelt relies heavily on two pieces of source materialJohn Bunyans. Kalen M. A. Churcher, Voices of Democracy: The U.S. Oratory Project substitute which would be far worse than the existing evils-all these men are 1900-1940 It does not read, "Thou shalt not steal from the rich man." Religion & Morality in Public Life Progress" the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one Subheads have been added for easier scanning, and there is a definition of the term "muckrakers" below the speech. There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. The Man with the Muck Rake by Theodore Roosevelt The welfare of the wage worker, the welfare of the tiller of the soil, upon these depend the welfare of the entire country; their good is not to be sought in pulling down others; but their good must be the prime object of all our statesmanship. are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services 2001-present, Bella Abzug growth of population has been outstripped by the growth of wealth in complex pulling down others; but their good must be the prime object of all our amount of good in the world, and there never was a time when loftier and more There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he interests. bribery, but blinds itself to blackmail; which foams with rage if a corporation April 22, 2023. proposing any substitute for what they intend to destroy, or who propose a People who focus on nothing but evil are themselves forces of evil. var googletag = googletag || {}; Through a series of questions about early-1900s modes of transportation, prime students to think about what a muck-raker does (cleans up horse manure). business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. will come from that warped and mock morality which denounces the misdeeds of men One attitude is as bad as the other, and no worse; in each case the accused is entitled to exact justice; and in neither case is there need of action by others which can be construed into an expression of sympathy for crime. when a scoundrel is untruthfully assailed. At this moment we are passing through a period of great unrest -- social, political, and industrial unrest. between the brutal greed of the "have nots" and the brutal greed of the "haves," Occasion- Dedicating the US House of Representatives office building during a time of wide scale industrial corruption and rising clamor for reform. The reform that counts is that which comes through steady, continuous growth; violent emotionalism leads to exhaustion.

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