Many reformers read and wrote for a. mcclure's magazine c. ladies home journal b. harper's magazine d. the new york times

The correct answer is McClure's Magazine (a). The so-called social reformers or "muckrakers" were reform-minded American journalists who worked for popular magazines during the Progressive Era (1890s to 1920s) with the goal of exposing social and political corruption.    

which time period is this? or is this story fictional, i'm going to need more info to answer this question

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.