Running head: PROFILE ON JANE ADDAMS

Profile on Jane Addams

Susan Honeycutt
Salt Lake Community College

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PROFILE ON JANE ADDAMS

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Helping people is a good feeling. Most people enjoy feeling good and like making a
positive impact on other peoples lives. Jane Addams is someone who very much enjoyed
helping people and made a huge positive impact on thousands of peoples lives. Jane Addams
was many things one being an advocate for women's suffrage and empowerment, and founder of
a special facility established to help the poor, called Hull House.
Jane Addams was born September 6, 1860, Cedarville, Illinois. Her full name being
Laura Jane Addams. Addams was the eighth of nine children, she lived a very privileged life.
Her father had important friends, including President Abraham Lincoln.
Addams graduated from the Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois in 1881. She then
briefly attended medical school and traveled. During one trip with a friend, Ellen Starr, Addams
visited the Toynbee Hall in London, England, which was a special facility established to help the
poor. Addams and Starr were so impressed by the facility that they choose to create their own
establishment to help the poor in Chicago.
Addams and Starr successfully opened Hull House, one of the first settlements in both the
United States and North America, it was located in Chicago, Illinois (Jane Addams 2015). The
house provided services for many different people including immigrants and the poor population
living in the Chicago area. The organization quickly grew over the years to include more than 10
buildings. The services expanded as well to include child care, an employment bureau,
educational courses, an art gallery, a public kitchen, libraries, and many other social programs.
Hull House was located in a neighborhood populated by immigrants from all around the
world including, Russian and Polish Jews, Irish, Germans, Italians, Bohemians, and Greeks.

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During a severe economic depression in America during 1893 Hull House was serving over two
thousand people a week. During the construction of the University of Illinois Chicago Campus
in 1963 the Hull House headquarters was forced to move. Unfortunately most of Hull House
original buildings were destroyed as a result. The Hull residence was transformed into a
monument that honors Addams that still stands today.
After the destruction of Hull House Addams was not done helping those in need. She
starting serving on Chicagos Board of Education in 1905, and eventually chairing in the school
management committee. Addams was a deeply committed pacifist and peace activist. She was
also a lecturer on peace, her talks consisted of the topic on ending war in the world in Newer
Ideals of Peace, which was published in 1907. Addams became the first female president of the
National Conference of Charities and Corrections in 1910, which was later renamed the National
Conference of Social Work. That is where she held the organizations top post for over two
decades. After World War I started Addams was appointed chair of the Womens Peace party.
Soon Addams realized that poverty would not end if laws were not changed.
She then directed her efforts and motivation at what she believed the root causes of
poverty. Workers joined Addams to lobby Illinois to look closer at certain laws that governed
child labor, juvenile justice system, and the factory inspection system. Even though Addams had
a privileged life she saw the many problems that surrounded her, and wanted to make a change.
Addams encouraged everyone to work together for legislation to protect immigrants
from exploitation, limit the working hours of women, recognize labor unions, mandate schooling
for children, and provide for industrial safety. The Hull House reformers soon saw their hard
work pay off. The Illinois legislature enacted protective legislation for women and children. Also
in 1903 a strong child labor law and a compulsory education law was passed. The United States

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Childrens Bureau was created in 1912 and a federal child labor law was passed in 1916. The
Hull House reformers once again saw their hard work pay off but this time at the national level.
Addams also served as president of the Womens International League for Peace and
Freedom during the years 1919-1929. For all of Addams efforts, hard work, and dedication she
shared the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize with Nicholas Murray Butler, who was an educator and
presidential advisor. Addams was also the author to several different books and articles.
The theme of her first book was the belief in evolutionary change toward a new social
morality. Addams also had a collection of essays on many different topics including, but not
limited to, family relationships, charity organizations, education, and women in domestic
employment. Addams produced 11 book and several articles on activities related to Hull House
(Hansen 2010). While she also maintained an active nationwide speaking schedule. Addams held
important roles at numerous local and national organizations. She was also one of the founders of
the Chicago Federation of Settlements in 1894. Addams helped to establish the National
Federation of Settlements in 1911 as well.
She held many more roles in her lifetime including Vice-president of the campfire girls,
chairman of the Labor Committee of the general federation of womens clubs, on the executive
board of the national playground association, the national association of the advancement of
colored people, and the national child labor committee. Addams was dedicated to helping others
in any way she knew how. She held positions at the many different organizations to be able to
help and make a difference to as many people possible.
Addams had many vantage points because of her several different experiences and roles
within numerous organizations (Frederick 2014). Not many other reformers enjoyed those

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vantage points she held. Addams made observations of the ordinary which led her to form social
theories. Some of these social theories led her to write one her books titled The Spirit of Youth
and the City Streets. In this book she discussed the importance of the natural instinct toward
play among children and the urban democracy which was exhibited on the playground.
Just like the other progressives Addams believed that war destroyed moral civilization
and social progress. Addams was not like all progressives though, she could not support the U.S.
involvement in the war. Addams was a practical idealist. She supported postwar initiatives that
included the League of Nations, the world court, and the Kellogg- Briand Pact. Her hope was
that they would help to direct public opinion against war. Addams was willing to pursue
programs in international affairs and in industrial relations. While never losing her faith in
wanting to achieve human progress thorough social change. Addams was a very hard worker.
Work became the foundation of a personal sense of identity and a collective democratic
character for Addams (Winkelman 2013). She once said In labor alone is happiness. Addams
considered the workplace to be the model of a cooperative community. She helped change
immigrants lives with Hull House by helping add identity and dignity to their lives. Hull
House is a perfect example of having a workplace model a cooperative community. Addams
lived a very remarkable and successful life.
Addamss health started to decline after a heart attack in 1926. She passed away on May
21, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois at age 74. Addams is remembered today as many great things
including, a pioneer in social work, and one of the nations leading pacifists. Addams has been
memorialized with a plaque in the Extra Mile, Points of Light Volunteer Pathway which is
located on the sidewalks of downtown Washington, D.C. The Extra Mile is a program of Points

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of Light Institute, which is dedicated to help inspire, mobilize and help equip people to volunteer
and serve. All of which is what Addams did within her life.
For many years Addams was ignored by scholars. They thought although she will be
remembered as a reformer, political radical, and activist, she was not considered a serious
thinker. More recently though scholars have started to give Addams a larger role in the history of
democratic thought. Adams was an incredible woman and impacted a countless number of lives
throughout her lifetime. Addams will be remembered as a public philosopher, author, pioneer
American settlement social worker, sociologist, and a leader in womens suffrage and world
peace.

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References

Frederick, R. G. (2014). Jane Addams. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia,

Hansan, J.E. (2010, December 14). Jane Addams (1860-1935): Founder of Hull House, social
reformer, womens advocate and winner of Nobel Peace Prize. Retrieved July 8,
2015 from http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/organizations/addams-jane/).
Jane Addams. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 10:05, Jul 08, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/jane-addams-9176298.
Winkelman, J. (2013). A Working Democracy: Jane Addams on the Meaning of Work. Review
Of Politics, 75(3), 357-382. doi:10.1017/S0034670513000314