This volume is built around three famous muckraking magazine articles - by Lincoln Steffens, Ida Tarbell, and Ray Stannard Baker. All drawn from the same issue of McClure's Magazine (January 1903), the most prominent muckraking journal of the day, the articles examine issues that were of crucial concern to political reformers in the Progressive era: urban political corruption, the emergence and behavior of giant corporations, and labor racketeering in industrial America. An extensive introduction provides the historical context from which muckraking emerged, and an essay following the three articles discusses the legacy of muckraking. Questions to consider when reading the articles, a chronology of events during the Progressive era, illustrations, a bibliography, and an index are also included.