Charles Edward Russell

Charles Edward Russell was born in 1960 in Davenport, Iowa. As a prominent newspaper editor in New York and Chicago, this socialist won a Pulitzer Prize for The American Orchestra and Theodore Thomas. Most of his work was of a “pioneering nature”; he wrote about beef trusts, railroads, tenements and farm problems (Charles Edward Russell - Work as a Journalist, Politics, Works published). His article, The Tenements of Trinity Church, exposed the terrible living conditions of immigrant workers in the 8th and 9th Wards in New York City. These tenements were owned by Trinity Church, and Russell accused the church of being a business instead of a Christian organization. Large numbers of people were living in tiny, rickety, century old buildings that didn’t have running water, reliable sewage systems, or access to enough sunlight. These tenants were charged rent that was far higher than the actual worth of the tenements. In the tenements, 240 out of every 1,000 residents died in the tenements. That number is a lot higher than the 24 out of every 1,000 that died in other parts of the city (The New York Times). After Russell’s article, President Wilson and Congress passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1867, an act that regulated public housing in the city. Following this act, Congress passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1901 which provided more stringent public housing regulations. Also instituted after Russell’s book, the Multiple Dwelling Law, the Public Housing Administration, and the Public Works Administration required tenement owners to provide safer and healthier living conditions (Chapter 1: Trends in Housing).

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is widely recognized as the founder of the consumer rights movement. Born in Winsted, Connecticut to Nathra and Rose Nader, Ralph earned a scholarship to Princeton University and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. Nader has run for President four times, and is blamed for Gore’s loss of the presidency in 2000. Ralph Nader began his career as a lawyer in the auto industry and soon became an avid consumer safety activist and wrote many books promoting consumer safety regulations (Ralph Nader). In 1965, Nader wrote Unsafe at Any Speed, a novel that accused the auto industry of knowingly producing dangerous and sometimes deadly vehicles because it was cheaper and there was no pressure for them to do otherwise. Nader’s book encouraged “scientific statesmanship”, doing what is right no matter the monetary or corporate cost. Unsafe at Any Speed focused on the Chevrolet Corvair, and was a critique on capitalism as much as of the automobile technology. The novel explained to the American people that their cars really were not safe. Seatbelts were hard to find and even harder to install. Even during crashes at less than twenty miles per hour, passengers could be thrown into the metal dashboard or break their neck on the metal steering wheel. During crashes of higher speeds, car doors easily flew off, and passengers flew through the safety glass, that could actually shatter and shred human flesh (Ralph Nader Biography). After Nader’s novel came out, General Motors hired private detectives to harass Nader. They were forced to publicly apologize to Nader, making him a national folk hero. Following Nader’s novel, Congress passed the Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1965 which instituted safety regulations in the auto industry. Nader himself founded the Center for Auto Safety, the Project for Corporate Responsibility, and many other consumer rights organizations (Ralph Nader).

Sources Cited

Works Cited

"Chapter 1 - TRENDS IN HOUSING." College of Architecture, Planning and Design @ Kansas State University. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .
"Charles Edward Russell - Work as a Journalist, Politics, Works published." Cambridge Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .
"Charles Edward Russell Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Charles Edward Russell." Encyclopedia - Online Dictionary | Encyclopedia.com: Get facts, articles, pictures, video. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .
"The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .
"Ralph Nader Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .
"Ralph Nader." NNDB: Tracking the entire world. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. .

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