The Muckraker’s Press Project
Name:_________________________________
Muckraker: “One that fixes his eyes only on that which is vile, debasing (harmful & corrupt).”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Part 1: The Progressive Hall of Fame, Total Points: 30 points
“Halls of Fame” have been established in a variety of fields such as baseball (Cooperstown, NY), professional
football (Canton, OH), professional rodeo cowboy (Colorado Springs, CO), country music (Nashville, TN), and
college sports/NCAA (Indianapolis, IN). It is hard to believe, but there is no “Progressive Hall of Fame.” We
will remedy that situation.
Our class has just been elected to the Board of Directors of the Progressive Hall of Fame!
Candidates for the first class of inductees have already been nominated through class magic, and I have invited
all of the nominees to be present to argue for their induction. At the conclusion of the activity, we will vote in 5
members to be “Charter Inductees” of the PHoF.
Your Task:
1. Select a progressive leader from the list below and research your character.
2. Present a speech explaining why you should be a charter member of the PHoF. Your speech will need
to be presented “IN CHARACTER” and in 1st person. You should draw evidence for your speech from
the research outline that you will complete as a part of this project. You should dress “in character” and
you must present a relevant in the context of your speech.
3. You may (but do not have to) refute (through questioning) other candidate’s arguments after they have
presented their cases.
4. You should take notes on your classmates’ presentations so you are able to make an educated vote.
5. Justify your votes for your 5 nominees in a written statement (due at the completion of the
presentations). In this statement, you must clearly articulate your justification for these inductees. This
justification should be linked to your definition of Progressivism. In a separate paragraph, nominate the
most appropriate city in which the PHoF should be built.
Nominees:
David Graham Phillips
Ray Stannard Baker
Jane Addams
Lincoln Steffens
Ida Tarbell
Robert LaFollette
Frederick W. Taylor
John Dewey
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Jacob Riis
Margaret Sanger
Charles Evans Hughes
Florence Kelley
Upton Sinclair
George Norris
Herbert Croly
W.E.B. DuBois
Eugene V. Debs
Gifford Pinchot
William Booth
Charles Beard
Louis Brandeis
Frederick Jackson Turner
Richard Ely
Frank Lloyd Wright
Brand Whitlock
Carter Woodson
Francis Willard
Walter Raushenbusch
Carry Nation
Susan B. Anthony
Henry George
Research Outline:
1. Name of your personality
2. What vocation or career path did you follow?
3. What was your personal history?
a. Family background?
b. Education?
c. Religious Training?
4. What, if any, was the defining moment in your decision to become an active reformer?
5. What was your greatest contribution to the Progressive Movement?
Works Cited:
A separate, word-processed, standard MLA Works Cited will be required for completion of this project.
Part 2: Becoming a Muckraker, Total Points: 30 points
Choose a current topic/issue in today’s society (local, state, country, or world) to research. Write a 1 page essay
(12-point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, .5 inch margins all around) that is a persuasive piece
addressing one current issue that you find to be in serious need to reform. You will need to convince an
audience of your peers that your problem is a valid issue, is in need of reform, and that your plan presents a
logical, realistic issue. Mr. Fulton must approve your topic ahead of time – see options on the back.
The following are the requirements that need to be included in your paper:
1. Description/definition of your issue
2. Brief history of your problem: how long has this been going on?
3. Causes for the problem
4. Who is being affected and how
5. Discuss previous efforts to fix your problem, if applicable
6. What is your plan to solve the problem? Be specific: will money be necessary? If so, how much will it
cost and from where will the money come? Make sure to be realistic. Who would be responsible for
enforcement of this reform?
7. You must use techniques that convince your audience that your problem is in need of reform and that
your solution is the best option.
Possible Issues:
Racial profiling
School violence
Drinking and driving
Homelessness
Nuclear weapons
Recycling and conservation
Sweatshops/Labor reform
Foreign terrorism
Environmental Issues
Gun violence and gun control
Bullying
Immigration
Obesity
Stem cell research
Unemployment
Women’s rights
Energy (clean coal, green)
Global warming
Healthcare
Poverty
Prison reform
Teenage depression
Domestic terrorism
Religious rights
Part III: Presentation, Total Points: 30 points
You must accompany your article from Part II with some kind of visual displaying your message loud and clear.
The following are examples of appropriate visuals:
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Oral Presentation: Organized like an essay. Must utilize multi-media (ex: Prezi, Keynote, PPT)
and presented live in class.
Podcast: An interactive dialogue that can take the form of an interview or radio show.
Documentary: A documentary is NOT a digital story/essay. It includes interviews, statistics,
images, video/film component, etc. It does not mean pictures with a voice-over.
Part IV: Bibliography, Total Points: 10 points
You must have at least 4-5 sources total, cited on a bibliography page for the information collected for Parts 1
and 2 of this assignment.
Total Project Points: 100
Your topic:_________________________________________
Presentation format: ________________________________
Teacher’s approval:__________________________________