Jane Addams and Hull House
Born in Cederville, Illinois, on September 6, 1860, Jane Addams founded the world famous social settlement of Hull House. From Hull House, where she lived and worked from it’s start in 1889 to her death in 1935, Jane Addams built her reputation as the country’s most prominent women through her writings, settlement work and international efforts for world peace. In 1931, she became the first women to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Addams, whose father was an Illinois state senator and friend of Abraham Lincoln, graduated in 1881 from Rockford College (then called Rockford Women’s Seminary). She returned the following year to receive one of the school’s first bachelor’s degrees. With limited career opportunities for women, she began searching for ways to help others and solve the country’s growing social problems. In 1888, Addams and her college friend, Ellen Gates Starr, visited Toynbee Hall, the two women observed college-educated Englishmen “settling” in desperately poor East London slum where they helped the people. This gave her the idea for Hull House.
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
They could speak their own language and act as if they were in their own country. Within these neighborhoods, immigrants suffered crowded conditions. These were often called slums, yet they became ghettos when laws, prejudice and community pressure prevented inhabitants from renting elsewhere.
Health conditions were terrible in these districts. Typhoid fever, smallpox and diphtheria were some of the diseases that ravaged the slums. Many children suffered from juvenile diseases such as whooping cough, measles and scarlet fever. The infant morality rate was very high. Along with immigrants, blacks suffered greatly as well. Immigrants couldn’t afford better housing, but blacks were trapped in segregated areas. Blacks were driven out of skilled trades and were excluded from many factories. Racist’s whites used high rents and there was enormous pressure to exclude blacks from area...
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... obtains wherever educated young people are seeking an outlet for that sentiment of universal brotherhood which the best spirit of our times is forcing from an emotion into a motive”.(Women’s History,2)
The Creation of Hull House allowed for a closer and more understanding relationship between the settlement workers themselves and the immigrants and the poor. Jane knew as a little child that she wanted to help the poor and she recalls an incident early in her life of seeing a homeless man on the street. She asked her father why that was, and he replied that that was just the way things were. From that day forward, Jane knew that something had to be done. She was an amazing women and loved being able to help the less fortunate.
Works Cited
Addams, Jane, Twenty Years at Hull House, New York, Macmillan, 1910.
Women’s History website #1. Women of Hull House
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Women’s History Website #2. Jane Addams-Bibliographies.
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Women’s History Website #3. Jane Addams-Education.
womenshistory.about.com/cs/addamseducation/index.htm>.
Lillian Wald: A Biography is the gripping and inspiring story of an American who left her mark on the history of the United States. Wald dedicated herself to bettering the lives of those around her. She was the founder of The Henry Street Settlement along with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. She worked with politics around the world and tried to bring healthcare and reform to people around the world. Using the lessons she learned in her childhood she worked closely with people from all backgrounds to fight for “universal brotherhood”. Wald was a progressive reformer, a social worker, a nurse, a teacher, and an author. Notably Lillian Wald, unlike many of the other women involved in the progressive movement such as Jane Adams, never received the same acknowledgement in the academic world.
... many immigrants faced discrimination, thus leaving them no choice but to live in the slums of some areas and try fight their way up to success.
Laura Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois on September 6, 1860. Addams lost her mother to childbirth at the age of two, and her father, John Addams, was a prominent politician as the state senator of Illinois and friends with Abraham Lincoln. Addams attended Rockford Seminary at her father’s insistence to stay close and graduated valedictorian with the intention to work with the poor and study medicine (“About Jane” 1). Jane spiraled into depression when she abruptly lost her father in 1881, and she gave up her pursuit of studying medicine and traveled through Europe twice in six years. It was in London that Addams witnessed an auction of spoiled food that spurred her into social work. She was sickened by the sight of the poor eagerly bidding for garbage, and she hoped of establishing a settlement house in Chicago similar to the Toynbee Hall in London. When Addams discussed her plans to Ellen Gates Starr, a college friend, she was surprised Starr was interested. Together, they rented a mansion built by Charles Hull which was located on the west side of Chicago, and when the Hull-House’s doors opened, the neighborhood and Chicago were overrun by poverty (Lundb...
Will, he describes the workings of television and the ways that television has morphed over the years. According to George F. Will, television is all about imitation. In order to make “good” television people create shows off of other television shows and each time they put a spit on it to make it more and more interesting and shocking. He also argues that we are becoming more and more desensitized. Television shows are increasing the amount of violence, sexuality, and degradation and at the same time people aren’t as easily shocked as they once were. He also warned us by stating, “Imitation is the sincerest form of television” (293). In other words, the idea of imitation is what brings about the added shock factor. For example, in the article was the television show Fear Factor. Fear Factor was created based on the MTV show Jackass. Fear factor takes the basic concept of Jackass and adds different twists, not to mention money, to gain viewers and participants. Another example of television imitation is the NFL versus the XFL. NFL promised that viewers would see more violence and more cheerleaders’ breasts. However, I have mixed feelings on this particular topic. Yes, I feel that reality television can be degrading, humiliating, and even desensitizing, but I also believe it’s the person’s choice to either watch the shows or even be on them. The Hills, for example, is broadcast on MTV late in
She grew up without a mother, but had a prosperous father. Addams assisted with bringing attention to the opportunity of revolutionizing America’s approach toward the poor. In 1889, alongside her friend, Jane Addams, founded the Hull House in Chicago. The Hull House assisted underprivileged people who needed help, care and love. One of the challenges that Addams faced and wanted to overcome was to mandate legislation on the local, state and federal levels. By doing so it would allow all individuals to receive the assistance needed in spite of race, sex, religion or social class. Her desire was to be a self-sacrificing giver to the poor and advocate for women’s rights and change laws that would help put a stop to poverty. Addams advocated for anti child labor laws to limit the hours that a woman can work, mandate schooling for children and she wanted to protect immigrants from exploration. Addams took action to the needs of the community by starting a nursery, dispensary, playground, and gymnasium and provided kindergarten, day care facilities for children of working mothers and accommodating housing for young working women. In the reading, Democracy and Social Ethics, Addams identified that she saw that there were people being excluded in different aspects of society and was therefore actively involved or proactive in attempting to establish inclusion and equal opportunity for
She grew up in something like a sport complex. To her it was something she could go to after school and have fun. As the passage, “ Jane Addams--Making a Difference,” it states that, ““As a young woman, Addams struggled with various health issues.” Jane did not let that bother her though. She earned a college degree and started traveling, to find ways to make contrast in her life. Not only in her life but in others too. She started a job at the Hull House. The text also states that, She became an educator, nurse, and almost like a mother to the kids at the Hull House. She helped kids through tough times in their life. All in all, Jane Addams really made a devote to the world by helping the
In conclusion, it is important for nurses to have proper training and information in the area of genetics and genomics so that it can be used in daily clinical practice (Thompson & Brooks, 2011). Using this information with clients and conducting a detailed genetic nursing assessment is a valuable component of being an effective health care provider and can help clients recognize, prevent, and/or treat diseases that are unique to their particular
Numerous of individuals have played an important part in the social work field. However, Jane Addams is an important historical figure in the Social Work field. Jane Addams accomplished many things and it is dynamic to appreciate her life contained by the perspective of society. “Social Work profession is a legacy of Jane Addams” (Johnson, 2005, p. 319). To understand how Jane Addams played important part a person must understand her background. Many individuals do not know who Jane Addams is coming into Sociology or Social Work. Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois on September 6, 1680 (Jane Addams Hull House Museum, 2009). Social work is more than adoption, or child protection service, child support. It is about changing lives and giving your client support and the appropriate resources not limiting their options. The backgrounds of social work are traced to Jane Addams (Johnson, 2004).
Laura Jane Addams, or best known as Jane Addams, was a strong willing woman to change the lives of others and to make things right. She was recognized as a pioneer settlement worker (Jane Addams-Biographical). Being a women’s rights activist and anti-war activist, Jane also co-founded the Hull House in Chicago, Illinois with a friend Ellen Starr. Addams was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in the year of 1931, four years before her death ("Laura Jane Addams" Bio.). Although Jane died at 74 from serious health problems, she was a very memorable woman . Laura Jane Addams achieved many things for people in poverty in the poor neighborhoods of Chicago and started the beginning of settlement houses in Chicago.
Reality TV has been a very popular part of American society since its conception, but does it go farther than being simply entertainment? As it has progressed, the content of these shows has become increasingly raunchy on and off screen. The producers and “actors” on these shows are hungry for money and attention, a hunger that grows exponentially as the possibilities of reality TV do. The question, often asked is, does reality TV have a negative effect on our society? The answer is simple: absolutely! Reality TV is produced and directed by people that know exactly how to manipulate the truth. Run by those who lie to the public's face and can legally get away with it. The shows reach out to a very impressionable society and deeply implants immorality, negative self-images and other issues that threaten American society. Reality TV damages those that find themselves in the unfortunate, yet common, situation of being exploited on these shows and it does so purposefully for the sake of money and ratings.
During the Progressive Era, Jane Addams was the most prominent female reformer. She was born in 1860, and had a college degree. She was never married but she grew to the idea that women must follow what she called the “family claim”. Addams claimed that a woman’s life must be devoted to parents, husband, and their children. With that in mind, in September of 1889, Addams founded Hull House in Chicago. Hull House was a settlement home for improving the lives of poor immigrants. Her goal was to introduce democracy to the newly arriving immigrants. The rich and poor were greatly divided within cities all over the country and Addams’ view was to unite society regardless of their differences. The Hull House Mansion soon became a large establishment
In summary, the real detriments of reality television far outweigh the artificial claims that some people consider benefits. Reality television is a successful form of entertainment for many people, but no good comes from it. Scripted television shows that are entirely fictional can serve all of the same purposes. They can be just as dramatic, catastrophic, and interesting as reality television shows. It is important that viewers take the time to evaluate and understand the reasons they enjoy reality television. It is essential to become familiar with the statistics of reality television, learn about the process of producing one, and examine the morality of such shows. Presenting contrived situations as reality, promoting unethical values, and presenting humiliation as a form of entertainment are only some of many detriments of reality television shows.
Addams created the first American settlement house in the densely packed immigrant neighborhoods of Chicago-- an industrial city. Settlement workers in the House provided services for poor immigrants and sought to remedy poverty. Her humanitarian action was continuous process grounded in her own experience. The social settlement did not have preset guidelines or fixed rules, but was flexible in its policies throughout Addam’s discovery of new community issues. Addams’s social settlement was “to be a part of its own immediate community, to approach its conditions with no preconceptions [...] but to find out what the problems of this community” In order to take into account the convictions of many, Addams visited women in Toynbee Hall. Toynbee Hall, founded in 1883, was situated in one of the poorest urban neighborhoods of East London. Here, she came face-to-face with a solution to the growing problem back home. Addams also tried to actively understand particularities of poverty and social provision in Chicago, visiting the Clybourne Avenue mission and the Armour mission, among others, to see what kind of services they offered the poor. She then took time to devise a plan of action after considering the "careful survey" of all variables influencing the situation and the what effects would have practical bearings on her plan of action. This lead to a flexible approach in which the settlement houses were constantly adjusted and practical in both goals and purpose. The houses had no concrete end goal. For instance, if settlement workers noticed that children in the houses were becoming too lethargic compared with children of comparable ages in the suburbs, the pragmatic creators of the houses would see it as a consequence of living in the house and would, “They will deliberate, explore, observe, and experiment, in order to zero in on the cause or causes so that
Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois. She was a philanthropist, women’s rights activist, and an anti-war activist. Jane Addams cofounded one of the first settlements in the United States, the Hull house in Chicago in 1889, and was named a co-winner of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize. Addams also served as the first female president of the National Conference of Social Work, established the National Federation of Settlements, and served as president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Jane Adams, pioneer American settlement social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, author, peace activists, and leader in women's suffrage, was born on the eve of the Civil War, September 6, 1960, in the small farming community of Cedarville, just outside Freeport, in northern Illinois. She was the youngest of five children. Her family was known as the wealthiest and most respected family in the community. She attended Rockford Female Seminary where she was the first woman to be awarded a Bachelor's degree, an event that mark the school's transition to collegiate status. She was serving as a desirable model student and a fascinating campus leader, serving as class president all four years, editor of the school magazine, president of the literary society, and valedictorian. She was among the fist college- educated woman in the United States.