Former United States president Theodore Roosevelt, first coined the term muckraking, or as referred to today "investigative reporting." The president had intended the term to be disdainful, but it became a badge of honor among journalist.
             Magazines began to run lengthy explorations of abusive institutions in American society, which in effect helped shape American policy. One of the most infamous muckraking expose was by Ida Tarbell, who wrote a nineteen part series for McClure's on the Standard Oil monopoly. The Standard Oil Trust, developed out of a refinery run by American businessman John D. Rockefeller, was one of the richest and most powerful businesses in the world during the late 1800's and early 1900's. The United States Supreme Court dissolved the company in 1911, charging it with unfair business practices. Rockefeller and his business associates bought most of the refineries in Cleveland and many in other cities and built tank cars, developed a pipeline system, purchased oil-producing lands. They then created an organization to market their products, transferring the stock of all their companies to the newly formed Standard Oil Trust. It controlled more than 90 percent of the country's refining capacity, and almost as much of its pipelines. Since 1870, competitors, journalists, and government agencies had accused Rockefeller and Standard Oil of following illegal practices damaging to other companies. In 1892, the Supreme Court of Ohio ordered Standard Oil Company of Ohio to separate from the trust. The trustees broke up the combination. However, many of the same people stayed in control through their positions on the boards of directors of the corporations.
             In 1906, the U.S. government brought suit against the combination under the Sherman Antitrust Act. In 1911, under the provisions of the act, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the company to dissolve. This ruling forced 33 sub
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