Ida Tarbell Questions And Answers

1. What is the name of the document?
Ida Tarbell Criticizes Standard Oil (1904)
2. What type of document is it? (newspaper, map, image, report, Congressional record, etc.)
It is a magazine article in McClure’s Magazine, and an excerpt from the book, The History of the Standard Oil Company.
3. Is it a primary or secondary source?
It is a primary source.
4. When was the document created?
The document was created in 1903 in the magazine and 1904 in the book.
5. Who created the document?
Ida Tarbell, a journalist, created this document.
6. What do you know about the creator of the document?
Ida Tarbell was one of the “muckrakers” of the progressive era. She was a muckraker, referring to progressive journalists. She participated in investigative

Rockefeller was the co-founder of the stand Oil Company. His wealth grew and became the world’s richest man. By the early 1880s, he dominated the oil business with his Standard Oil Company, in which he accounted thirty percent of. In the overall U.S. refineries and pipelines, his company accounted for around ninety percent. John D. Rockefeller was also a major philanthropist. By the end of his life, he had donated around five hundred million dollars to charitable causes.
7. Did the creator have any bias?
Yes, this document is mostly one-sided from his point-of-view on the issue of the Standard Oil Company. He tries to back up his success of the Standard Oil Company by talking about the excellence and overall inexpensive of its products. He kept citing how the Standard Oil Company was actually an example and always has been the least hazardous. He writes how to a large degree the oil industry is a gamble for investors and companies.
8. Is the creator a reliable source of information?
Yes, if a reader needed a source in John D. Rockefeller’s point-of view. However, I would say no if a reader needed a non-biased document of information because this excerpt was written by Rockefeller and has a lot of bias. There are little to none actual facts, as opposed to Tarbell’s document which showed actual facts about the oil

What is the name of the document?
The name of the document is Magazine Defense Rockefeller (September 1906).
2. What type of document is it? (newspaper, map, image, report, Congressional record, etc.)
This document is a newspaper article from World’s Work.
3. Is it a primary or secondary source?
It is a primary source.
4. When was the document created?
This document was created on November 10, 1906.
5. Who created the document?
The document was created by a journalist.
6. What do you know about the creator of the document?
I do not know anything about the creator of the document, except that he or she lived in the time period of the issue of the oil industry, and was old enough to write a newspaper article.
7. Did the creator have any bias?
I do not know the creator’s background, so it is very hard to tell if he or she has any bias. However, I do know the writer defends Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company.
8. Is the creator a reliable source of information?
No, the creator does not use facts to back his or her statements against critics. He or she states his or her point-of-view and uses logic, such as how Rockefeller is not a criminal because he used the same tactics as his opponents, and therefore if he was a criminal, Rockefeller would be surrounded by criminals, to prove Rockefeller’s