Upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry in 1900, there were over 1. Theodore roosevelt on june 30, 1906, that prohibited the sale of adulterated or misbranded livestock and derived products as food and ensured that livestock were slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions. Best chicago meat company serves consumers, retailers, and food service customers with highquality, delicious products. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. By 1960 wages in meatpacking were 15 percent higher, a number. The law reformed the meat packing industry, mandating that the u.
Exposing the fiction of upton sinclairs the jungle by michael suede november 15, 2012. The salt opened in 1865, chicagos union stock yard was the greatest livestock market the world had seen. Cattle are first led into a narrow alley and stunned by a blow on the head, in a packing plant in austin, minnesota, 1941. A former meatpacking district, the west loop has become one of the most dynamic dining destinations in the city. The cattle yards that seems to go on forever, and a view of the packing plants in the distance. Upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry. The decline of chicago meat packing book, 1961 worldcat. The jungle, a 1906 novel by upton sinclair, is full of graphic descriptions of the poor conditions workers and cattle endured in the chicago meatpacking industry. How chicagos slaughterhouse spectacles paved the way for. Most immigrants came to the united states with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. Upton sinclair and the chicago meat packing industry in 1900, there were over 1. Throughout the piece, sinclair criticizes the harsh lives of the workers and the filth and lack of safety in the yards. Men standing on wooden beams between the cattle yards in chicago, c. The main character is jurgis rudkus, one member of a family that immigrated to chicago from lithuania.
The jungle exposed the horrors of the meatpacking industry. Essay on upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking. The nightmare of the chicago meatpacking industry was described as follows. The books impact was immediate and practical the us congress passed the meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act in the same year. Vivid and eyeopening novel concerning the exploitation and grinding poverty of workers in the chicago meatpacking factories of the 1920s. Julia child foundation, les dames escoffier chicago, meat packing industry, railroad, mickey finn, great migration, ann sather cinnamon rolls. Even if sinclairs detailed descriptions of the trade and practises are only half true, its. The meat packing plants that jurgis works in are in packingtown, chicago. The earliest recorded commercial distribution of frozen meat was in 1874. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Essay on upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry.
Sinclairs book was so moving and troubling that it inspired the establishment of the food and drug administration, a federal agency that is to this day responsible for regulating and supervising the food, tobacco, dietary supplement, and pharmaceutical industries in the u. Conditions in meatpacking plants 1906, by upton sinclair. Note part of an ad for armour, one of the big packers, on a building to the right. His description of diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public and led to new federal food safety laws. In the 1880s, workers organizations, led by the knights of labor, joined with political radicals and reformers to organize a national effort to demand an eighthour workday. The book was a pulitzer prize winner and covered the facts of the meatpacking industry of the time. Constitutional rights foundation bill of rights in action fall 2008 volume 24, no. Julia child foundation, les dames escoffier chicago, meatpacking industry, railroad, mickey finn. The book begins with his wife ona and his wedding feast. Working conditions in the new urban industrial zones were wretched, and a progressive reform movement soon grew out of the need to address the health and welfare of the american worker. The jungle was first published in 1905 as a serial in the appeal to reason and then as a book in. As the scale and size of their facilities increased, so did the dangers.
The book, the jungle, by upton sinclair had a major impact on the way the world saw the american meat packing industry. In 1904, sinclair had spent seven weeks gathering information while working incognito in the meatpacking plants of the chicago stockyards for the newspaper. By the 1880s, the european meat markets closed their doors to imported american meat. In 1900 the chicago packinghouses employed 25,000 of the countrys 68,000 packinghouse employees. It was incorporated in 1911 and in 1945 was acquired by the marhoefer family. How chicagos slaughterhouse spectacles paved the way for big. An explosion of excellent eateries have taken over this former industrial area, turning the historic warehouses into some of the citys hottest restaurants. As a result, the government would step in and pass legislation that protected consumers from consuming unsafe food.
Swift brands, south chicago il, meat packing plant, circa 1917. The salt opened in 1865, chicago s union stock yard was the greatest livestock market the world had seen. Utterly disturbing, centuryold photos of meatpacking. Apr 15, 2020 for a generation meat packing provided a solid living. Tom woods discuss the lies promoted by upton sinclairs book here. Americas many stockyards were known to be filthy, and a breeding ground for diseased meat. The meat was shipped to england from the united states. When the packers first entered an area, they wooed a respected butcher. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Sinclairs book told the tale of an immigrant familys toil in chicago s. In the meat industrys early days, packing plants had rooms cooled with ice to store meats. In 1906, upton sinclairs novel the jungle uncovered harrowing conditions inside americas meat packing. He and his family live near the stockyards and meatpacking district where many immigrants, who do not know much english, work.
After you look at these images of meatpacking facilities from early last century, youll understand why social reformer upton sinclair wrote his great 1906 novel the jungle about workers horrific. While upton sinclair originally intended to appeal to the publics heart concerning the conditions and the treatment of workers, it was obvious that the book had more of an impact on the meat industry. Packingtown was notorious for their awful living conditions and working conditions. Packingtown is a section in chicago where the packing houses are located. Essay about upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking. The emergence of modern america 18901930 national archives. May 12, 2016 the jungle exposed the horrors of the meatpacking industry. The jungle, a 1906 novel by upton sinclair, is full of graphic descriptions of the poor conditions workers and cattle endured in the chicago meat packing industry. The city of chicago has an endlessly fascinating history that scholars have explored for several generations. Jul 16, 2014 the books impact was immediate and practical the us congress passed the meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act in the same year. How chicagos slaughterhouse spectacles paved the way for big meat. For a generation meat packing provided a solid living. The book is centred around jurgis, a jejune lithuanian immigrant and his travails through this dreadful industry. Upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry bartleby.
By the 1890s, the railroad money behind the union stockyards was vanderbilt money. The main character in the book, jurgis rudkus, a lithuanian immigrant, tries to make ends meet in chicago. By the 1890s, the railroad money behind the union stockyards was vanderbilt. Our skilled butchers cut to popular portion sizes or to your specifications, giving you leaner, highervalue products. The jungle is a 1906 novel by the american journalist and novelist upton sinclair 18781968. Then an injury results in jurgis being fired from the meatpacking plant. Sinclair, published serially in 1905 and as a singlevolume book in 1906. The words of the late pulitzer prize winning author upton sinclair only begin to tell the story of the beginning of. Jan 16, 2012 men standing on wooden beams between the cattle yards in chicago, c. Upton sinclairs the jungle constitutional rights foundation. A 1906 report by the bureau of animal industry refuted sinclairs severest allegations, characterizing them as intentionally misleading and false, willful and deliberate misrepresentations of fact, and utter absurdity. The meaning of meat in industrial social protest novels.
It was 1906, and upton sinclair had just published the jungle, an explosive novel revealing the grim underside of the american meatpacking industry. The words of the late pulitzer prize winning author upton sinclair only begin to tell the story of the beginning of the chicago meatpacking business. The jungle was a societyaltering book when it exposed the graft, corruption and appalling conditions in the slaughterhouses and other work places. Photo courtesy of the library of congress in 1906, upton sinclairs novel the jungle uncovered harrowing conditions inside americas meat packing plants. His novel, the jungle 1906, a shocking expose of the unsanitary and dangerous conditions in the plants, was an immediate bestseller and incited president roosevelt to enact a series of food safety laws. Chicago, il i live in the suburbs and this is the place i go for meat. Nineteenthcentury employers often expected workers to spend 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week on the job. Largest of all was the meatpacking industry in chicago. Political cartoon, the meat market, page 1 of 2 title. In upton sinclairs novel, the jungle, sinclair argues the horrors of the meat packing industry and how corrupt capitalism. Pacyga, who has written distinguished histories of the city, is one of those scholars. Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the united states in chicago and similar industrialized cities. Upton sinclair wrote the jungle to expose the appalling working conditions in the meat packing industry. In the jungle, author upton sinclair took aim at the brutalization and exploitation of workingmen in a chicago meatpacking house.
Cma specializes in custom cuts for further processors and sells to the hotel, restaurant. Thus, chicagos big three packersphilip armour, gustavus swift, and nelson morriswere in a position to influence livestock prices at one end of this complex industrial chain and the price of meat products at the other end. Conditions in meatpacking plants 1906, by upton sinclairthe explosive growth of american industry in the late nineteenth century caused a similar expansion in the work force. The negro in the slaughtering and meat packing industry in chicago book.
Vivid and eyeopening novel concerning the exploitation and grinding poverty of workers in the chicago meat packing factories of the 1920s. The jungle, americas most influential proletarian novel, emerged from a sevenweek investigation of chicago s slaughterhouses. Chicago meat packing industry swifts packing house. His latest work to examine the history of chicago is slaughterhouse. The jungle, americas most influential proletarian novel, emerged from a sevenweek investigation of chicagos slaughterhouses. Political cartoon, the meat market, page 1 of 2 title the. Chicago meat authority offers you a full line of quality meat products all trimmed and packed to the industrys highest standards. Chicago was the worst and biggest meat packing industry in the early 1900s. His primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to.
Researching the book in 1904, upton sinclair interviewed fellow socialists, settlement house officials, health inspectors, and the workers themselves, who smuggled him into meatpacking plants so he could view conditions firsthand. Regulation of the meatpacking industry began in 1906 after president theodore roosevelt read a book about the plight of the working class and the corruption of the meatpacking industry by journalist upton sinclair. Sinclairs book was so moving and troubling that it inspired the establishment of the food and drug administration, a federal agency that is to this day responsible for regulating. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a centralized processing area. After navigating their way to chicagos meat packing district, the families endure. T he meatpacking mogul jonathan ogden armour could not abide socialist agitators. Feb 15, 2014 the meat packing plants that jurgis works in are in packingtown, chicago. Nov 30, 2010 regulation of the meatpacking industry began in 1906 after president theodore roosevelt read a book about the plight of the working class and the corruption of the meatpacking industry by journalist upton sinclair. The meat packing industry started in the early 1900s. In 1950 wages for meatpacking were only slightly lower than u. His primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working.
Buy the jungle by sinclair, upton from amazons fiction books store. Meat packing blues a book examines when chicago was the king of. His novel, the jungle 1906, a shocking expose of the unsanitary and dangerous conditions in the plants, was an. The chicago houses wanted local butchers to focus exclusively on selling meat. In 1865 when the union stock yard opened, the meat packers began to build large plants near the stockyards. This excerpt from upton sinclairs muckraking novel of the chicago meatpacking industry describes, in graphic detail, how cattle are slaughtered and. An expose of the american meatpacking industry and the horrors endured by. His description of diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public and led to new federal food safety. The meat is literally fresh off the butcher block, the prices are unbelievable and the variety of meat is outstanding. The setting of sinclairs novel the jungle is the early twentiethcentury chicago meat packing yards in packingtown and their squalid surroundings. May 07, 2019 the chicago houses wanted local butchers to focus exclusively on selling meat.
Oh, yeah, great, why dont we pass the meat that untold numbers of slavik. Chicago remained americas largest meat packing region until the 1920s. Chicago meat packer recalls ground beef products 202001. Dec 03, 2015 how chicago s slaughterhouse spectacles paved the way for big meat. The negro in the slaughtering and meat packing industry in. A protest novel he privately published in 1906, the book was a shocking revelation of intolerable labor practices and unsanitary working conditions in the chicago stockyards. The jungle was an expose of conditions in the chicago stockyards.
364 642 1124 432 649 540 578 515 14 859 194 1300 680 1375 1320 697 1391 1174 379 1110 607 1057 939 999 527 155 165 1426