How do the excerpt from The Jungle and the Progressive Amendments reflect the attitudes and interests of the American people during the twenty years of the "Progressive Era"?

The modern America as it is known today was born during the progressive era. During this period, there was rapid industrialization and urbanization which resulted in different responses to the social and economic evolutions. In the late nineteen century, there were massive migrations of Americans who moved into the urban centers as well as the African Americans who moved to the northern cities. The urban areas greatly gained from electricity and running water while the farmers in the rural areas fought to conserve their farms. Progressivism began as a social movement dealing with various social needs and afterwards changed into a reform movement. The early progressives had sharply opposed the ideology of social Darwinism and proposed that the social problems such as poor health, poverty, racism, and greed could be eradicated through good leadership, better education, more efficient workplace and safer environment. 

There were several key players during the Progressive Era who worked tirelessly to awaken the consciousness of the American people to the many social ills which plagued the vulnerable communities. Journalists become eye openers and prominent voices in creating awareness of the many social ills. The journalists exposed the societal rot through several articles and publications which mainly targeted the people in the highest social class and how they used their powers to manipulate the poor people. One of the most popular and famous novels of this era is The Jungle which was written by Upton Sinclair. The Jungle disclosed the poor working conditions of workers in a meatpacking industry and advocated for socialism. 

These journalists who were commonly known as "muckrakers" brought to light corruption and poor health condition of workers and this helped in the inspiring legislation of reformists at both national and state levels. Also, Upton Sinclair helped in alleviating the poor living conditions of the lowest group in the social class by exposing what they were going through to the upper and the middle classes. He believed that the readers of his book would be informed that the horrors he portrayed in his book were as a result of the exploitation and greed of the corporate industry and that the meatpacking industry was part of the industrial capitalism. The muckrakers who had gained much publicity succeeded in galvanizing the American population to make the people focus on the issue of the meatpacking industry. The corporations which had initially shown reluctance in change, the meat packers as well as drug companies concluded to embrace change. 

Progressivism further garnered support at the national level when Theodore Roosevelt won the presidency in 1901. He strongly believed that the big corporations were to be strictly monitored for greed and corruption if at all his administration was to realize success. Of great significance was the fact that many progressives got elected to the Congress. This allowed for several of progressive amendments. With the existence of many progressives in Congress, Federal programs were established. The Children's Bureau was an example of such programs. There was also the promotion of Maternity hygiene and the Infancy Act as one of the major health care programs. The Sheppard-Tower Act through its public relations promoted the education of Americans on the importance of improved social conditions and healthcare for children and women. 

Lastly, the progressive reforms enabled the Senate to have two senators from every state through the 17th amendment in 1913. In 1918, the progressives passed the 18th Amendment which supported the prohibition of alcohol and contributed to the push of woman suffrage. Roosevelt called for more reforms including the regulation of the stock market, compensation of workers who got involved in accidents while at the workplaces, taxes on income and an eight-hour workday. Roosevelt did not have it easy as he frequently came into conflict with his several conservatives in the Republican Party who most often opposed the amendments from being passed through the Congress