Jane Addams, Social Reformer

Posted by Tel Asiado Sep 6, 2008

Today, September 6 (1860-1935), is the birthday of Jane Addams, American social reformer and suffragist. A pacifist, Addams never allowed public criticism to deter her sense of purpose. She was awarded the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize for her support for peace, women's suffrage and social work.

In 1887, she observed the work done at Toynbee Hall, a settlement house in London's East End. Two years later, she co-founded with Ellen Gates Starr Chicago's Hull House, the first major settlement house in the United States. Hull House became the model for settlement houses throughout the United States.

Addams also actively participated during the First World War, particularly in the suffrage movement and in denouncing America's participation in the war. In 1915, she organized and chaired the Women's Peace Party, and along with Emily Balch, she founded the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Five years later, she supported and helped found the American Civil Liberties Union and served on its national committee for ten years.

Jane Addams's commitment to world peace was finally recognized when she became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Sources:

McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap, 2002

Weatherford, Doris. American Women's History. New York: Prentice Hall, 1994