Today in History, June 30, 1906:
The Federal Meat Inspection Act is passed by Congress.
After Upton Sinclair had published “The Jungle” about Chicago’s corrupt meat packing industry, President Theodore Roosevelt sent representatives to investigate the industry.
Inspite of the Chicago industry’s efforts to hinder the investigation, the investigators uncovered horrific practices.
TR respected his investigator’s findings, and Congress acted to protect the public. The USDA was born, and healthy meat processing practices were enforced.
It may seem a mundane issue, but people were dying from disease due to the bad meat they were sold. We are truly fortunate to live in our time.
Mark Loves History! 