Upton Sinclair :: essays research papers

	At the turn of the century America was in the face of economic downfall. Laissez Faire Industrialism had been in place and citizens were at the disposal of big business. Poor working conditions and poverty were the norm in a time where Socialism was an irrelevant ideology. Big business was making the government rich. But according to Upton Sinclair and his "Conditions at the Slaughterhouse," unsafe and repulsive sanitary conditions were at play, putting thousands of carnivorous Americans and factory workers in danger of death, disease and poverty. Although America had expanded to be the most rapidly industrious nation in the world, few agree that it was worth the expense of its populous' health and well being. 	Upton Sinclair was among a swarm of Muckrakers that erupted during American industrialism. He was among many journalists to expose the wrongs of society and propose ways to fix it. But few muckrakers took their stories as deeply as Sinclair. His depiction of the terrible sanitary conditions at one specific meat packing plant in Chicago touched the publics stomachs rather that their hearts. Although he certainly wanted to give the public a view from the inside, public uproar was his among lesser expectation. The details regarding the unsanitary and disgusting conditions in meat packing factories appear to be background details of a much larger picture. Sinclair's main fight in his "Conditions at the Slaughterhouse" was to bring about the ideology of Socialism and how government needed to step in and take control. 	The grotesque ways in which the meat was being processed in these plants also relates to the ways in which workers were being treated as well. People working in these plants were about as valuable to the owners as the individual pigs themselves. Although they were not necessarily slaves, they were often foreigners and unskilled workers who had no choice but to work for low wages under poor living conditions. Most of these people lived in the plants themselves or in small tenant housings nearby. The beaten workers in the plants found it hard to work in such deprivation and to them their only way to continue living was to drink their problems away. For alcohol seemed to be their only form of enjoyment. 	 	Americans of the 19th century were supposedly granted freedoms to live and work to provide a family and live the American dream with prosperity and happiness. Upton Sinclair :: essays research papers 	At the turn of the century America was in the face of economic downfall. Laissez Faire Industrialism had been in place and citizens were at the disposal of big business. Poor working conditions and poverty were the norm in a time where Socialism was an irrelevant ideology. Big business was making the government rich. But according to Upton Sinclair and his "Conditions at the Slaughterhouse," unsafe and repulsive sanitary conditions were at play, putting thousands of carnivorous Americans and factory workers in danger of death, disease and poverty. Although America had expanded to be the most rapidly industrious nation in the world, few agree that it was worth the expense of its populous' health and well being. 	Upton Sinclair was among a swarm of Muckrakers that erupted during American industrialism. He was among many journalists to expose the wrongs of society and propose ways to fix it. But few muckrakers took their stories as deeply as Sinclair. His depiction of the terrible sanitary conditions at one specific meat packing plant in Chicago touched the publics stomachs rather that their hearts. Although he certainly wanted to give the public a view from the inside, public uproar was his among lesser expectation. The details regarding the unsanitary and disgusting conditions in meat packing factories appear to be background details of a much larger picture. Sinclair's main fight in his "Conditions at the Slaughterhouse" was to bring about the ideology of Socialism and how government needed to step in and take control. 	The grotesque ways in which the meat was being processed in these plants also relates to the ways in which workers were being treated as well. People working in these plants were about as valuable to the owners as the individual pigs themselves. Although they were not necessarily slaves, they were often foreigners and unskilled workers who had no choice but to work for low wages under poor living conditions. Most of these people lived in the plants themselves or in small tenant housings nearby. The beaten workers in the plants found it hard to work in such deprivation and to them their only way to continue living was to drink their problems away. For alcohol seemed to be their only form of enjoyment. 	 	Americans of the 19th century were supposedly granted freedoms to live and work to provide a family and live the American dream with prosperity and happiness.