Jane Addams Accomplishments

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Throughout history, there have been many influential leaders that have paved a path into where modern society currently stands today. One prominent figure that is responsible for a majority of social reform during the Progressive Era is Jane Addams. Jane grew up constantly being challenged intellectually by her father, John Addams, which led to her continuous curiosity and desire to challenge herself. Starting off as a girl from a small prairie town in Illinois, Jane was able to accomplish reform in a time when America was seeking to modernize itself in society. The accomplishments she created have been long lasting and established policies and ideals that still stand as a basis for reform today. Throughout her life, Jane focused on mutual …show more content…

The Hull House was one of the first settlement houses in the United States and acted as “a place where young college graduates could live together in a poor urban district while providing outreach to the surrounding community (Opdycke pg. 2).” Through the creation of the Hull House, Jane established the principle of learning from life itself. Jane was able to draw interest from many volunteers that were able to help her create a kindergarten for children of the less fortunate in the Chicago slums. Residents of the settlements held professional training as lawyers, teachers, economists or physicians. These volunteers were able to use their experiences to help those less privileged in the community. In the beginning, Jane spent most of her income on the settlement but was able to draw a significant amount of money from a circle of donors. She was able to obtain four years of free rent from her landlord due to her efforts in helping the community, and eventually was able to fill an entire block full of settlements. Through her many settlements, she established many programs and clubs that were open to the local community. Through clubs, sports programs, kindergartens, art classes, concerts, plays, and even schools, Addams quickly established a platform where people could help one another in pursuit of a common goal. Addams continuous efforts led to constant

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