Ida Tarbell

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ida-tarbell

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ida Tarbell born?November 5, 1857
2. When did Ida Tarbell die?January 6, 1944 (age 86)
3. Where was Ida Tarbell born?Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA
4. What is the career?Investigative journalist, author, editor, and influential figure in the Progressive Era
5. Who was Ida Tarbell?Ida Tarbell was a brave reporter born in 1857 who investigated big companies to make things fairer for everyone.
6. What did she write about Standard Oil?She wrote a detailed series called "The History of the Standard Oil Company" that showed how John D. Rockefeller and his friends used secret deals and unfair tactics to become the biggest oil company. The book was based on years of research and many interviews.

Muckraker: Journalists of the Progressive Era who investigated and exposed corruption, scandals, and societal ills in business and government.
Trust (Monopoly): A business structure where a group of companies are managed by a single board of trustees, effectively creating a monopoly.
Sherman Antitrust Act: The first federal law enacted in the United States to prohibit trusts and monopolies, aimed at promoting fair competition.
Progressive Era: A period of widespread social activism and political reform in the United States, roughly from the 1890s to the 1920s.