Jane Addams; Defender of Peace and the Poor
Jamie Blair
English A
March 17, 2003
Jamie Blair
March 3, 2003
Jane Addams; Defender of Peace and the Poor
I. Jane Addams was an incredible orator. She encouraged
people across the country to join her cause. Joined with Starr, she set out
to make Hull House a shelter and a home for the less fortunate of Chicago.
Her accomplishments are still seen today. Introduction will cover all main
aspects of the paper.
A. Background
1. On September 6, 1860, Laura Jane Addams was born in
Cedarville,
Illinois.
2. Jane Addams passes away on May 21, 1935 of cancer.
B. Through her strength of character, Jane Addams was
able to break down social
barriers and establish Hull House, a sanctuary for Chicago’s less
privileged.
1. Many other cities around the world used Addams’ model
of Hull House to establish similar types of housing for its’ poor.
2. Hull House’s original
establishment has branched out, and still exists
today.
3. Addams’ dedication was
truly shown when she worked at Hull House
until a week before her death in 1935.
II. I.B.I Early Life
A. Addams had several people she looked up to.
1. Addams’ father taught her tolerance, philanthropy, and
a strong work
ethic.
2. Addams’ admired Russian novelist and philosopher Leo
Tolstoy, who chose to spend the last years of his life living with the poor.
3. Addams’ looked up to Abraham Lincoln, who had corresponded
with her father early in her life.
B. Addams pursued education with fervor.
1. Addams graduated high school in 1877.
2. Addams graduates Rockford College and enters Woman’s
Medical College of Philadelphia.
C. Addams’ early years set the stage for a career to come.
III.I.B.2 Hull House
A. Hull House had humble beginnings.
1. Hull House began with 1 building.
2. Hull House later grew to hold thirteen buildings.
B. Hull House eventually grew.
1. There were at one time 50 different programs offered
at Hull House.
2. The building expanded to 13 buildings and several areas
around the country.
C. Hull house now helps more than 250, 000 people a year.
IV.I.B.3 Accomplishments
A. Jane Addams has a large collection of oratory and literary
accomplishments.
1. Addams has written twelve books and has composed over
500
editorials, speeches, essays, and columns.
2. Addams often spoke to make extra money. In February
1899 alone, she made four speeches in New York, ten in Massachusetts, two
in Pennsylvania, and one each in Virginia, Vermont, and South Carolina.
B. Jane Addams holds many material and Presidential Accomplishments.
1. In 1915, Addams’ accepted presidency of the Women’s
International
League for Peace and Freedom.
2. In 1931, Addams’ receives the Nobel Peace Prize. She
was the first American woman to receive the honor.
C. Addams accomplishments were just symbolic of the hard
work she put into Hull
House.
VI. Through her strength of character, Jane Addams was
able to break down social barriers
and establish Hull House, a sanctuary for Chicago’s less privileged.
A. Hull House’s spirit continues today.
1. Under the watchful eye of Gordon Johnson, the Hull House
Association continues helping the less fortunate today.
2. Many copycat programs have been set up, based on Addams’
idea, throughout the United States and Europe.
B. Addams’ created the career of social work.
1. Addams’ work later became known as social work, a popular
career
today.
2. With the help of her CO-worker, Ellen Gates Starr, Addams’
pioneered sociological interaction.
C. Many reminders of Jane Addams stand today, such as
statues and other
historical monuments, as proof of her legacy.
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1
Jane Addams; Defender of Peace and the Poor
Jane Addams has been described as one of the most remembered
figures in American History. Her life was one led of complete unselfishness
and remarkable regard for the situations of others. Starting at an early
age, Addams’ persona emerged. Through travel and impressive life experience,
she made the realization that she would some day have a career in social
work. This dream became a fully functioning reality. Teamed with her lifelong
friend, Ellen Gates Star, Addams laid plans for an extensive human service
complex. Thus, through her strength of character, Jane Addams was able to
break down social barriers and establish Hull House, a sanctuary for Chicago’s
less privileged.
Many famous people have humble beginnings. For Laura Jane
Addams, born September 6, 1860, this was not the case (Elshtain 8).
Addams grew up rurally, in the small town of Cedarville, Illinois. Although
raised in a small town, this did not limit Jane’s experience with the wide
world around her. Addams' father, a highly respected, wealthy banker and
mill owner saw to it that her eyes were open to more than her own living
situation (Rosen 4). He was often in contact with President Lincoln
by mail. The President inquired about the political situation in that area
of the country. Through her father’s correspondence with Lincoln, Addams
came to know and respect him. Many of his ideas have shaped her later views
of life as well (Meigs 7). She has been said to be a great admirer of both
her father and of Abraham Lincoln (Rosen 4). Her father taught her tolerance,
philanthropy, and a strong work ethic. These qualities she also found similarly
in Abraham Lincoln (Internet).
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As a child, Addams was described as a “sickly,
insecure girl.” She suffered from excruciating back pain, serious depression,
and neurasthenia for eight years
(Rosen 4). Despite her afflictions, Addams seems to have had a generally
happy childhood. This shaped her career, and had an influence on the rest
of her life. “ The happy childhood of Jane Addams had direct bearing on the
kind and quality of her later life, even though the two seem poles apart.”
(Meigs 2) At age seventeen, Addams' entered the Rockford Seminary.
Here she took on a course of general study, at which she excelled. She also
was introduced to her lifelong friend Ellen Gates Star (Klingel 11). Star
would later prove a very integral of Jane Addams' career. All throughout
her years at Rockford, Jane’s interest in social work festered.
Upon graduation for Rockford Seminary in 1877, Addams
enrolled in Rockford College (Kittredge). Here she spent years grappling
with career issues. She simply could not decide which area she would like
to pursue. Eventually, she decided on medicine. Although, this was not a
popular career for women in society’s eyes at that time. Her parents worried
that if she went to medical school, she would never marry (Internet 1). Despite
this, Jane pushed forth, pursuing her career in medicine. In 1881, Jane graduated
from Rockford College. She enrolled the following autumn at Women’s Medical
College of Pennsylvania (Elshtain 8). There were few learning
opportunities for women seeking higher education at that time. Addams' felt
that she must seize the opportunity, fearing the alternative. She was greatly
put off by the ideas of household duties and child rearing; they held no
fulfillment for her (Internet). Interestingly enough, Addams only spent
one year
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at Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She felt that her life needed
to move in a different direction (McHenry 1).
After emerging from a period of depression, Jane once
again called upon her inspirations. People she had once so admired now helped
give her life new meaning. First, she thought back to Lincoln, and traveled
to his monument. Shortly after, she wrote “As I stood under the great white
marble dome of Old Abe’s stately home, for one brief moment the search was
rewarded.” (Addams 37) Next, she looked for a worldwide perspective. She
greatly admired Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy spent the last years
of his life working and living with the poor (Kittredge 75).
Feeling that they needed to gain a more worldwide perspective,
Addams and Star traveled to Europe. This was their second trip to the area,
after having traveled here from 1883 through 1885 previously. Observing the
slums and poverty of England and Germany were enough for the two women. They
returned home in 1887 to begin their work immediately(McHenry 1). They
were not quite sure about where to begin. Addams later said of their rough
beginnings, “ When we went to Chicago, we had no definite idea what we were
going to do. We hoped that by living among the people, we would learn what
was needed.” (Klingel 23) The two women definitely learned what would be
needed. They bought a large, yet run down, house inside one of the worst
parts of Chicago. Here they developed a strong bond with the people of the
community. Trust was being built between the groups from the first day Addams
and Star moved in. The first
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night the women moved into the house, they forgot to lock their doors.
They awoke to find that none of the impoverished neighbors had attempted
to take anything. This was
extremely rare in the slum-like conditions their neighbors lived in, and
the women felt comfortable right away (Addams 79).
With this bond between Star, Addams, and the people of
the neighborhood, plans for a type of “neighborhood center” went into effect
(Jendrysik B3). Before programs of any type could be constructed, buildings
must first arise. Hull House was in fact a large mansion, and it grew in
its years of use. Addams often saw many of the poverty-ridden children without
a proper place to clean themselves. Thus, Chicago’s first bathhouse arose.
Many of the underprivileged people of the neighborhood could now practice
better self-hygiene. The city liked this idea and constructed more of these
“shower centers” throughout the area in later years (Klingel 24). Hull
House opened to the public on September 18, 1889 and slowly began to grow.
As it enlarged, Addams called in more and more people to work for her. These
select few were considered the benefactors of living in such an area. “It
was Addams view that Hull House was as much, or more, for the benefit of
the over privileged and inexperienced persons she attracted to work there,
as for that of the poor among whom they labored.” (McHenry 1) This quote
really shows the true spirit that Jane tried to emit from Hull House.
After 1889, Hull House had really grown at a rapid pace.
Addams began inviting people to live with her in the mansion. In an effort
to help as many people as she could, she continued to expand Hull House.
The compound eventually grew to thirteen buildings that had been built around
and added to the house (McHenry 1). The first of
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these buildings to be constructed was an art gallery. Addams really felt
that it was important to give the people of this area not only what they
needed to survive, but
cultural opportunities as well. Through these experiences, people were able
to look past survival, and see the beauty in the world around them. In later
years, after an art program had been established, many of the people living
in the house had work displayed there as well (Kittredge 57). Hull House’s
sphere of influence expanded far beyond the buildings of Chicago. Eventually,
the program included a summer camp near Lake Geneva in Wisconsin (McHenry
1). Addams also believed that recreational activities were an important part
of daily life. In order to have a place to participate in such, a gymnasium
was constructed. A coffeehouse was also added as a place to talk and debate
issues pertaining to the time. Both buildings were added in 1893 (Elshtain
8). Ironically enough, when the great Chicago fire destroyed seventeen thousand
five hundred buildings, Hull House was spared from flames. All of the houses
and buildings around the complex were turned to ashes. Again, the need for
Hull House was stressed.
Hull House was not just a physical place for people to
gather or live; the compound was so much more than that. As the years went
on, and money was made available, programs were established. These were a
wide array of classes and lectures on things from parenting to politics.
Ellen Gates Star also played a major role in helping to develop these programs.
She also later helped to rally support for social change laws. Many of the
supporters were people involved in the programs at Hull House
(Jendrysik B3). Many of the parents in the surrounding area worked
very hard in factories and at laborious jobs just to keep food on the table
for their families. Addams
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often saw young children left home alone all day or outside where no place
to play. Hull House soon offered Kindergarten and child-care for the neighborhood
children. She also built the first playground in Chicago. In its later
years, Hull House featured more than fifty clubs and offered many classes
(Rosen 4). Starting with programs in education and vocational training, Hull
House slowly added more to its genre (McHenry 1). Services such as
medical care and legal aid were later provided (Internet 1). With the addition
of the gymnasium, sports teams were arranged. Similarly, through the art
gallery, art and craft classes, and a theater group came together (McHenry
1). In the coffeehouse, many debates took place. In a group called the “working
man’s social science club”, political theories were discussed. This helped
Addams to gain many different social perspectives (Elshtain 82). All
of the programs at Hull House helped to enrich the public as well as entertain
them.
The whole community was in awe that two women would want
to come and just begin helping them, with no ulterior motive. When they first
arrived in the Chicago slum the community was a bit curious. As said by one
writer, “The whole community was seething with curiosity regarding these
ladies, who could so well afford to live elsewhere, and who had come so surprisingly
to share the atmosphere and surroundings of a city slum.” (Meigs 48) Thus,
the success in Hull House really relied not so much on the physical compound
itself. Although important, the house was only one small part of the entire
atmosphere of the area. The enrichment the people of the Chicago received,
through the programs and groups, far outweighed the benefit of the buildings.
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Today Hull House is still functioning. The program was
moved to a new location in 1963. All of the buildings were destroyed, except
for the mansion, which serves as a memorial (McHenry 2). The Hull House
Association serves over 225,000 children,
families, and senior citizens today. This is accomplished through five main
centers and thirty-five smaller facilities throughout Chicago. Although many
problems facing the facilitators of the program are the same, many are different.
Poverty is still a large problem, but tends to be overshadowed by the troubles
of today. These include drug addiction, domestic violence, sexual abuse,
and illiteracy. Programs today focus on different geographic, ethnic, economic
and age groups. Due to the success of Hull House, many other communities
across the country have set up public service programs modeled after the
Hull House Association (Greene 3). According to the United States
Department of Labor, the halfway houses that the Hull House Association started
were the first successful programs of their kind in the country. Since then,
many communities have also used this idea to set up shelters of their own
(Kittredge 54). The original Hull House legacy lives on today under
the watchful eye of Gordon Johnson. Johnson is the chief executive of the
Hull House Association, and works to help “one person at a time.” (Greene
3)
Jane Addams was a person that had many years of experience
and education. In the course of her life she has made many contributions,
both oratory and in writing, to society. An extremely accomplished writer,
she has written twelve books. In addition to these twelve publications, she
has written over five hundred editorials, speeches, essays, and columns.
Addams even had her own column in the popular women’s magazine, “The
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Ladies Home Journal.” One of Addams more notable works spoke of complex social
theories. It was titled Democracy and Social Ethics, published in 1902
(Elshtain book 82). Addams often spoke publicly to make extra money.
In February 1899 alone, she made four speeches in New York, ten in Massachusetts,
two in Pennsylvania, and one each in Vermont, Virginia, and South Carolina.
Most of this money went towards programs at Hull House (Kittredge 71). Addams
is also accredited with establishing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
(Internet 1). Jane felt very strongly about political issues. It was said
she had a strong admiration for Hoover, she voted for him twice (Elshtain
book 86). She was also known for her anti-war idealism. Her strong opposition
to World War I caused her to be ostracized in the public light. When bad
working conditions cause the Haymarket Riot, Jane publicly showed her support
for the workers. She often fought for better working conditions for immigrants,
and consequently, lost much of her funding for Hull House. Her love
of peace and equality was so great that in 1915 she created the Women’s Peace
Party. This was another valiant effort by Addams to avoid war.
Jane Addams was also known for being a feminist. She took a strong
stance in trying to get women the vote (Internet 1). She also headed the
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, accepting the presidency
in 1915 (Jendrysik B3). To help with this cause, she served in military
hospitals overseas during World War I (Letter 26).
Simply in being female, Jane Addams accomplished many
things. In 1909, she was the first female president of the National Conference
on Social Welfare.
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(Jendrysik B3). Addams was chair of the National Federation of Settlements
from 1911, when it was founded, to her death in 1935 (McHenry 2). These accomplishments
helped
paved the way for the women’s rights movement. They also helped to set an
example for young girls everywhere.
Jane Addams worked in many areas to help everyone she
possibly could. She felt very strongly against child labor. She convinced
the lawmakers of Illinois to adopt laws protecting working children and women.
These laws made many factories safer places for them to work (Klingel 27).
Specifically, she helped to pass a law stating that children under sixteen
were limited to working no more than eight hours a day (Greene 1). Jane wanted
to research the causes of crime and poverty. She also wanted to see how this
effected immigrants (Jendrysik B3). Addams fought fervently for immigrant’s
rights as well. Through her many committees and organizations she sought
out jobs and helped to educate newer immigrants to this country. In doing
so, she faced severe criticism. Many people thought that she was “Americanizing”
immigrants and that they were losing their own culture (Elshtain 86).
Tom Lutz once said “Jane Addams’ immigrant neighbors in the nineteenth ward
of Chicago, free to come and go as they pleased, through the open door at
Hull House, became inmates of a coercive institution that cruelly subjects
them to forced readings of Sophocles and George Eliott (Elshtain 82).
This of course, is a very opinionated statement, showing how people sometimes
became very critical of Addams' work. This is to be expected of the time.
Jane Addams invented the title and career of social work through here experience
in Chicago. Thus, it was a new idea to many people, and this may have intimidated
them.
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Considering the amount of work that she has accomplished
in a lifetime, Jane Addams has seldom been compensated for it. Although,
there were definite times of
material pride on her behalf. Addams was the first woman to receive
an honorary degree from Yale University in 1910 (McHenry 2). Then, in 1930,
she was presented with an honorary LL.D, from the University of Chicago (Elshtain
8). In 1931 came Addams’ greatest honor of all. She became the first American
woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (Internet 1). She shared this honor
with Nicholas Murray Butler (Elshtain 15). This moment is known as one of
Addams’ proudest. She was finally being shown the material credit she deserved
for a lifetime of hard work.
Jane Addams really wanted to prove the importance of social
work to society (Jendrysik B3). Through here extensive work specifically
to end the crowding of city slums and workplaces, she has proven more than
she ever set out to (Kittredge 41). At the time of her death, Addams
was known as “America’s known and widely hailed woman.” (Elshtain Book 82)
A sign, built by the Illinois historical society in 1951 describes Addams
as a humanitarian, feminist, social worker, reformer, educator, and publicist
(Elshtain 1). Addams always worked for equality, which is much of the
reason her legacy still shows today. She considered the competition between
the social classes “un-American.” (Elshtain 82) Her work is still with us
today in the form of the Hull House Association, her publications, and her
tradition of kindness.
Some people feel that although Jane Addams is an important
figure, she has fallen from public memory (Elshtain Book 82). One author
describes how, “Statues of her never quite got off the ground…” Despite the
notions that some people have regarding her
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disappearing fame, Laura Jane Addams will always be an integral part of American
sociological history. Her dedication is remarkable. Jane Addams remained
living at
Hull House until a week before her death on May 21, 1935 (Klingel 30). She
had fought cancer for years proceeding her death. She is buried in Cedarville,
Illinois.
Many years after she had passed away Cobblestone magazine
held a contest. They were looking for a “person of the year”. Addams was
chosen from a list of herself, Roger Williams, and Ulysses S. Grant. Thus,
showing how much she has really done for the underprivileged of not only
years past, but today. As the Hull House Association still pushes forth with
programs, Laura Jane Addams’ memory thrusts forth through time, making her
a truly remarkable woman.
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Works Cited
Addams, Jane. Twenty Years at Hull House. New York, NY: Penguin, 1938
Elshtain, Jean Bethke. Jane Addams and the Dream of American Democracy.
NY:
Basic Books, 2002
Elshtain, Jean Bethke. “Jane Addams and the Dream of American Democracy:
A
Life” Library Journal 1 Jan 2002: 116
Elstain, Jean Bethke. “Jane Addams and the Social Claim.” Public Interest
Fall
2001:82
Greene, Meg. “Helping Neighbors.” Cobblestone. 1 March 1999:3
Greene, Meg. “Jane Addams, Our Person of the Year.” Cobblestone 3 January
1999:2
“Jane Addams.” American Reformers: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary.
1985
edition
“Jane Addms” Her Heritage: A biographical Encyclopedia of Famous American
Women1995 edition
“Jane Addams” www.lkwdpl.org/winohio/adda-jan.htm
Jendrysik, Stephan R. “Women’s Club Served Society.” Union News. 6
Oct. 1999:
B3
Kittredge, Mary. Jane Addams-Social Worker. NY: Chelsea House, 1988
Klingel, Cindy. We the People; Jane Addams. Mankato, MN: Creative Education,
1992
McHenry. “Jane Addams”. Great Women. 4 August 1989
Meigs, Cornelia. Jane Addams, Pioneer for Social Justice. Boston, MA:
Little,
Brown, And Company, 1970
Of Chatham, ST. Letter. Boston Globe. 1 January 1989: 26
Rosen, Ruth. “A Useful Woman; the Early Years of the Life of Jane Addams.”
Los Angeles Times. 5 September 1999:
338
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