Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) Progressive Era Practice Test 2026 - Free APUSH Practice Questions and Study Guide

Muckraking exposes public health abuses and motivates reform, and The Jungle provides a classic example from the early 20th century. The book gave readers a stark look at the filthy, unsafe conditions in Chicago’s meatpacking plants and the way meat was processed, handled, and marketed. Those vivid scenes and the human toll behind them stirred widespread outrage and concern about food safety across the nation. In response, Congress and the Roosevelt administration pushed through federal safeguards, leading to the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 to regulate meat production and ensure safer, properly labeled foods. Though Sinclair aimed to critique industrial capitalism more broadly, the immediate effect was a surge of regulatory action that reshaped how the government protected consumers. The other works listed focus on different issues or eras, so they don’t align with this pivotal moment of federal food safety regulation.