The Standard Oil Company Essay Example

Ida Tarbell was a visionary woman born in 1857 on the western Pennsylvania oil frontier. Witnessing her father's job as an oil producer as she grew up prompted her to write a letter accusing the Standard Oil Corporation of trying to drive smaller oil producers out of business. Ida Tarbell was a smart woman who graduated from Allegheny College in 1880 as one of the first female biology graduates. She started her career as a teacher after graduation, then went on to writing and editing for the Methodist Church's magazine. She kept writing and editing and finally went into investigative journalism, where she wrote a pioneering study of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, or the Standard Oil Trust. As a result, she became known as a muckraker. She continued writing and subsequently founded the American Magazine. She was one of the most well-known female journalists of her generation. She not only used her writing to bring justice to the world, but she also defied social standards and built a successful career as a woman. By creating what is now known as investigative journalism, Ida M. Tarbell helped transform journalism. As a result of her successes, she became a role model for women who aspire to be professional journalists, which not only helped to broaden the role of the newspaper in contemporary society and stimulate the Social Reform movement, but also helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society.

Her story of the Standard Oil Company, published in 1904, was a visionary piece of investigative journalism that later became known as "muckraking." The public was outraged by her disclosure of Rockefeller's corrupt business practices, but it lead to more revolutionary things. The Supreme Court upheld Standard Oil's break-up following years of precedent-setting litigation. Standard was found to be an unconstitutional monopoly, and the court ordered it to be split up into 34 independent companies. Rockefeller and Standard were bloodied but not vanquished. Both 34 companies had substantial shares of Rockefeller, and the split was highly profitable for him. He lived out the remainder of his long life without a blemish on his record as the world's wealthiest man.

Tarbell founded the American Magazine in 1906, making her the most famous woman journalist of her time. She wrote biographies of many prominent businessmen and a series of papers on a highly debated subject at the time, the tariffs levied on products imported from other countries. Tarbell made the decision to become a writer rather than an editor at this stage Tarbell earned a national reputation as a major writer and the leading expert on Abraham Lincoln after the papers were collected in a book. Tarbell wrote five books about Lincoln and lectured across the world, sharing her findings with large crowds. 

Tarbell was also known for breaking down nuanced subjects like the oil industry, taxes, and labor policies into easy-to-understand articles. Her reviews increased circulation at McClure's and The American Magazine. Several of her books were well-received by the general public in the United States. Tarbell flourished in a predominantly "male" world of media, business analysis, and foreign relations, opening the way for other women to pursue careers in journalism and, later, broadcasting.

In conclusion, Ida Tarbell helped to transform media by inventing what is now known as investigative journalism. She became a role model for women striving to be professional journalists as a result of her achievements, which not only helped to widen the role of the newspaper in current society and stimulate the Social Progressive movement, but also helped to extend the role of the newspaper in modern society.