The Shame of the Cities is a collection of muckraking articles published around 1900 by Lincoln Steffens, a leading figure in the muckraking movement. It offers a frank account of corruption in six major cities, including New York and Chicago, exposing issues such as police bribery and the erosion of civic spirit. The rise of the muckraking movement, represented by the articles collected in this book, also spurred Theodore Roosevelt to intensify his fight against corruption and push forward reforms, ushering in America’s Progressive Era.
