Progressive Movement Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive Test Prep

Upton Sinclair’s "The Jungle" played a pivotal role in advocating for food safety regulations due to its vivid and disturbing depiction of the conditions in the meatpacking industry in the early 20th century. Published in 1906, the novel aimed to highlight the exploitation of workers, but its shocking portrayal of unsanitary practices and health violations in food production particularly galvanized public outrage.

The graphic illustrations of contaminated meat and the harmful conditions faced by workers sparked a national conversation about food safety and sanitation. The public’s strong reaction to Sinclair's revelations prompted the government to take action, leading to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in the same year. These laws marked significant advancements in food safety regulations, establishing standards for the meatpacking industry and ensuring that food products were safe for consumption.

The other events listed, while significant in their own rights, did not have the same direct impact on food safety regulations as Sinclair’s novel. The Great Chicago Fire primarily dealt with urban development and fire safety, the stock market crash of 1929 was more focused on economic issues, and the establishment of labor unions, although important for workers' rights, did not specifically address food safety on the same scale as "The Jungle."