Which muckraker exposed urban political machines in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia?

• A. Lincoln Steffens
• B. Ida Tarbell
• C. Upton Sinclair
• D. Ray Stannard Baker

Answer: (A)

Exposure of municipal corruption through investigative journalism was a hallmark of Progressive Era reform, showing how city machines operated and controlled votes and contracts. Lincoln Steffens is the muckraker who earned prominence for documenting this kind of urban corruption. His reporting, collected in The Shame of the Cities, traced how political bosses in major cities like Chicago and Philadelphia ran machines that traded favors for votes, skimmed public funds, and manipulated city governments. This work helped fuel calls for reforms such as civil service reform, nonpartisan elections, and city-manager or commission forms of government.

By contrast, Ida Tarbell investigated monopolies (notably Standard Oil), Upton Sinclair exposed the meatpacking industry and worker conditions, and Ray Stannard Baker wrote about race and social issues.