The history of the standard oil company is a 1904 book by journalist ida tarbell. She led a campaign that was against standard oil but in favor of rockefeller. Steel was the largest corporation in the united states. The standard oil company has, largely by unfair or unlawful methods, crushed out home competition. Roberts a young entrepreneur who became the worlds most famous tycoon started a bigtime business brawl in cleveland that had repercussions he never could have predicted. He was, first, a manufacturer of wooden barrels bypassed by the development of tanker cars and, later, an independent oil. The series was later published as a book, the history of the standard oil company in 1904, which spotlighted rockefellers practices and mobilized the public. Tarbell, whose 1902 series of articles detailed the ruthless business tactics of standard oil and its abuse of natural resources. The progressive era progressive movement article khan academy. It is highly desirable that an element of competition should be introduced by the passage of some such law as that which has already passed the house, putting alcohol used in the arts and manufactures upon the free list.
Tarbell, it criticized standard oils methods of eliminating competition. Rethinking standard oil by henry demarest lloydl2 and ida tarbelll 3 condemn the company. In 1872, he mowed down all competitors in the socalled cleveland massacre that left standard oil in control of 85 percent of the citys refineries. Thanks in part to a series of 19 articles by ida tarbell, published in 1902 by mcclures magazine, the u.
The history of the standard oil company full text ida tarbell. By forming the standard oil trust, rockefeller was trying to hide that. Originally serialized in nineteen parts in mcclures magazine, the book is a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired. Ida tarbell wrote about standard oils methods of eliminating competition true true or false. The american beauty, of course, was his own standard oil and the buds, his competitors. The book s inflammatory character made its influence all the more seminal among politicians, becoming the bible of washington trustbusters, and the final straw that motivated ida tarbell to launch her attacks on standard oil pp. Bria 23 1 b progressives and the era of trustbusting. The book tells rockefellers story from his humble childhood through to his becoming the richest man in american history and his quirky. Tarbell, missing the point that it was the system that made the man, went on to attack the wrong target. In 1903, she wrote a series of articles highly critical of standard oil company. May 21, 2004 particularly noteworthy among the muckrakers was ida m.
Josephson emanuel m the truth about rockefeller by. Written by journalist ida tarbell in 1904, the history of the standard oil company was an expose of the standard oil company, run at that time by oil tycoon john d. Few areas of the earth are excluded from treatment in this vast saga. The progressives were against laws that regulated child labor. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. This series was subsequently published in book form as the classic the history of the standard oil company. The work of journalists ida tarbell and upton sinclair significantly impacted the condition of life for workers and business owners in america during the progressive era. Ever since, standard oil has served as the textbook example of why we need antitrust lawin the business world in general and in the energy business in particular. Ida tarbell was one of the first investigative journalists. Conclusion contempt proceedings begun against the standard in ohio in 1897 for not obeying the court s order of 1892 to dissolve the trust suits begun to oust four of the standard s constituent companies for violation of ohio antitrust laws all suits dropped because of expiration of.
The industrial history of the period is complicated standard oil s growth built on an extraordinary increase in aggregate demand for what was then. A short while later, president theodore roosevelt used. Dec 12, 2017 one of the more important scandalous coverages from the magazine was ida tarbells series of articles about standard oil in 1902. The book tells rockefellers story from his humble childhood through to his becoming the richest man in american history and his quirky retirement. The standard oil monopoly, by the linux information project. Ida tarbell had watched rockefeller put her father and other independent oil refiners out of. Her work was a sensation and the installments became a twovolume book entitled, the history of the standard oil company, published in 1904.
I had quoted paul hawkens book blessed unrest, and edited it for status update size. If tarbell gave an oversimplified account of standard oils rise, her indictment was perhaps the more forceful for it. Frank tarbell was an independent oilman crushed in the massacre. In 1901, some of the worlds greatest industrial and financial leaders joined forces to create the united states steel corporation. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
Originally serialized in nineteen parts in mcclures magazine, the book is a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large. By 1880, through elimination of competitors, mergers with other firms, and. A reinterpretation of american history, 19001916 gabriel kolko see other formats. Rockefeller, the richest figure in americas history. Tarbells exposee of standard oil extract chapter 18. After her expose on standard oil and character study of john d. As ida tarbell wrote in her history of the standard oil company. By this standard, the early oil refining market was perfect in many ways. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. She published a series of hypercritical articles in mcclures magazine in 1902 and 1903, which were turned into a book entitled the history of the standard oil company. Ida tarbell 1857 1944 was a muckracker, which is a term used to describe a generation of journalists that, during the progressive era end of the 19th century and first years of the 20th century, condemned corrupt practices in the us governmental offices and businesses in their publications. Similarly, writer ida tarbell history of the standard oil exposed the senior rockefeller as a ruthless robber baron. The company dominated the steel market during the first half of the twentieth century, and for a time, u. Rockefeller and his oil empire by mike roberts teaching.
Ida tarbell, pioneer of investigative journalism who published an expose of. Standard oil s refining monopoly the success of standard oil in creating a nearmonopoly over the refining of crude oil between 1872 and 1879 is not completely understood. Ida tarbell was born in 1857 on the erie county, pennsylvania, farm of her maternal grandparents, known to history only as the mcculloughs. I was willing that they should combine and grow as big and rich as they could, but only by legitimate means. By cutting loose the middleman from their distribution line, the. Rockefeller, the richest figure in american history. She reported on one instance of suspicious actions by standard oil. Many similar accounts followed lloyds the most definitive being ida tarbells 1904 history of the standard oil company, ranked by a survey of leading journalists as one of the five greatest works of journalism in the 20th century. The courts decision affirmed a popular account of standard oils success, first made famous by journalists henry demarest lloyd and ida tarbell. Under rockefeller, the ohio oil company focused on finding new oil fields. She wrote numerous books and works on abraham lincoln including ones that. Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus.
In 1911, the company became independent again, after the u. Tarbell meticulously documented the aggressive techniques standard oil employed to outmaneuver and, where necessary, roll over whoever got in its way. The woman who took on the tycoon history smithsonian magazine. Rethinking the economic basis of the standard oil refining. I never had an animus against standard oil s size and wealth, never objected to their corporate form. Apr 26, 2015 standard oils market share had been in decline from market pressure for years before the government took an interest, and that interest was only due to a muckraking book written by the wife of. In 1879, standard oil had a near monopoly in the new method of oil transport. The industrial revolution utilized machines and methods of mass production that magnified. The collusive with railroads and business shenanigan orchestrated by john d. Would the public have been better off if older and more costly methods of producing, processing and shipping oil had continued to be used. In his mind, large industrial combinations, more commonly known as monopolies, would replace individualism and competition in business. Her investigative journalism inspired other reporters who became known as muckrakers. Rockfeller internationalist the man who misrules the world.
President roosevelt included rockefeller among the malefactors of great wealth. The purpose of eugenics was to eliminate undesirable attributes from the human race. Before tarbells findings, another muckraker journalist, henry lloyd, managed to find out about the companys corrupted monopoly. Aug 29, 2011 ever since, standard oil has served as the textbook example of why we need antitrust lawin the business world in general and in the energy business in particular. She wrote the articles and reports which were directly gathered from interviewing standard oils most powerful magnate, henry h. Jan 06, 2020 her work was a sensation and the installments became a twovolume book entitled, the history of the standard oil company, published in 1904. How did ida tarbell help end the standard oil monopoly. She came from a long line of scottish and english ancestors who had first arrived on the continent in the seventeenth century and had continued ever since to push west. Ever since, standard oil has served as the textbook example of why we need. Jun 30, 2016 ida tarbell was born in 1857 on the erie county, pennsylvania, farm of her maternal grandparents, known to history only as the mcculloughs. At the age of 14, ida tarbell witnessed the cleveland massacre, in which dozens. Tarbells look into the oil industry reinvented investigative.
In building the giant standard oil monopoly, john d. Tafts support of him partially led to the reemergence of theodore roosevelt as a presidential candidate in 1912. The trusts speeded up mergers and eliminated competition among their members. Particularly noteworthy among the muckrakers was ida m. In china i helped to see to it that standard oil went its way unmolested. Rockefeller built an oil monopoly by ruthlessly eliminating most of his competitors.
Lloyds criticism is a diatribe against the size of the company,14 irrelevant according to the courts current treatment of monopolization. For over 30 years, he had applied his uncanny shrewdness, thorough. Standard oils market share had been in decline from market pressure for years before the government took an interest, and that interest was only due to a muckraking book written by the wife of. Tarbell exposed many of the dishonest business practices rockefeller used to get rid of his competitors in the oil industry.
Theodore roosevelt sued standard oil of new jersey under the sherman antitrust act of 1890. I brought light to the dominican republic for american sugar interests in 1916. Conclusion contempt proceedings begun against the standard in ohio in 1897 for not obeying the courts order of 1892 to dissolve the trust suits begun to oust four of the standards constituent companies for violation of ohio antitrust laws all suits dropped because of expiration of. She wrote a series of articles exposing the corruption of standard oil. The secret of standard oils success lay in the companys bourgeoisie spending and thrift. Ida minerva tarbell november 5, 1857 january 6, 1944 was an american writer. Starting in november 1902, ida tarbell wrote a series of 19 carefully. At the age of 14, ida tarbell witnessed the cleveland massacre, in which dozens of small oil producers in ohio and. It lasted about 19 series until 1904 when she published them as the history of the standard oil co. Tarbell ida tarbell was standard oils greatest critic. Aug 03, 2012 from the julyaugust 2012 issue of inside business the link is here rockefeller and his oil empire by michael d.
All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. In the trusts collusion with the railroads, the intricate system of rebates and drawbacks, she found her smoking gun, the irrefutable proof that rockefellers empire was built by devious means. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Tarbell of mcclures magazine told standards story in her 21part serial, the history of the standard oil company, published successfully thereafter in book form. Bria 16 2 b rockefeller and the standard oil monopoly.
It is an expose about the standard oil company, run at the time by oil tycoon john d. The prize tells the story of how a natural resource, known worldwide from antiquity to possess useful properties, came to dominate the worlds economy and steer its political fate as technology made possible the transformation of crude oil into commercial products. By cutting loose the middleman from their distribution line, the company saved 35% of its revenues. Did standard oil fulfill the free market economists promise of monopoly in this. He said it illustrated the battle of the new idea of cooperation against competition. This critical report on the companys rapid development and cutthroat practices prompted great public scrutiny of the company, demanding. From the julyaugust 2012 issue of inside business the link is here rockefeller and his oil empire by michael d. Readers nationwide awaited each chapter of the story, serialized in 19 installments by mcclures between 1902 and 1904. Early the next year, ida tarbell and other progressive journalists, whom. Rockefeller saw standard oils takeover of the cleveland refiners as inevitable. One of rockefellers harshest critics was journalist ida tarbell, whose brother was the treasurer of the pure oil company, which could not compete with standard oils low prices. Ida tarbell, perhaps the most wellknown female muckraker, wrote a series of articles on the dangers of john d.