Jane Addams And Her Contributions To Women's Rights Movement

You may have never heard of the name Jane Addams, but her impact on women's rights in the U. S and around the globe is huge. She was born in Cedarville, Illinois on September 6, 1860 (“Jane Addams American…”). Addams used her empathetic and caring heart to give the less fortunate the same opportunities she had (Vimont). But one of her most recognizable contributions was creating the first settlement house in America (“Jane Addams American…”). In her prime years in Chicago, she addressed and took issues head on like women's suffrage, pacifism, and immigration (“Jane Addams Biography…”).

Addams was a very important figure during this period and was extremely beneficial for the years to come. Death confronted Jane Addams at a young age, including the death of her mother when she was two, her sister Martha, and a witness to the death of her servant Polly (Knight 5). She was a very reserved child; she loved to read books which, “fed her curiosity and intellect. ” (Knight 11). Though she was shy, she was always fascinated by her father’s work in politics (Knight 19). She wanted her father, John Addams to talk about his job and experiences, but he didn’t incline to do so (Knight 8). From the article, “Jane Addams American Social Reformer,” it states, “Addams graduated from Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois in 1881 and was granted a degree the following year when the institution became Rockford College. ” Her determination and drive lead her to be so successful her first year; she had a 9. 3 out of 10 GPA (Knight 24). Her main focus throughout college was public speaking, for which she was very passionate about (Knight 29). However, the one thing that sparked her career inspiration was the trip with her friend Ellen Gates Starr to England (“Jane Addams Biography…”). She went to visit Toynbee Hall, a settlement house in London, which greatly influenced her idea for a settlement house in the US (Knight 62). She chose a poor area in Chicago with mostly immigrants and picked a house built by Charles Hull; the Hull House was born (Knight 68).

Addams accomplished a lot in her lifetime, but those achievements mostly consisted of her duty of helping others. She tackled issues and always found a way to use her platform to do some good. For example, in the early 1890’s, economic depression was booming and unemployment rates were skyrocketing (Knight 86). To give back, she created women’s shelters and a sewing workshop as a place for income. (Knight 86). She was also a huge part of the Women's Suffrage Movement by advocating for women’s voting rights and being recruited by Susan B. Anthony to give speeches (Knight 98). Addams was a pacifist, meaning she was anti-WW1 (Knight 191). She got a lot of negative publicity for being “un-American” but she still continued to help by going to Germany to donate food and money (Knight 233). But her most memorable accomplishment was the Hull House (“Jane Addams Biography…”). She kept this settlement house running for 40 years and excepted everyone; including different races, women, men, and immigrants (Knight 252).

As the article, “Jane Addams Biography” says, “Over the years, the organization grew to include more than 10 buildings and extended its services to include child care, educational courses, an art gallery, a public kitchen and several other social programs. ” Addams specifically created the Hull House as a safe place for women to be heard and for the less fortunate to have opportunities that they wouldn't normally have (Vimont). Even while lying ill in the hospital, she received a Nobel Peace Prize; though taking her cash earnings and giving most of it to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (Knight 257). If Addams’s voice wasn’t present during her time, the world might have been very different today. She challenged topics that people weren’t brave enough to talk about and brought them to justice. She often broke through stereotypes like when she joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, it being one of the most controversial boards she’s been apart of (Knight 152). Or when she received hate letters about not being in favor of the war (Knight 233). She didn’t care about people’s opinions about her, she cared about making others feel welcome (Vimont). Addams used her activism to pass the bill on voting rights for women, something they may have taken longer if it wasn’t for her (Knight 237). Her activism didn’t just spread in Chicago or in the United States, but traveled all around the world to places like Europe and Asia (Knight 244). She made global appearances to meet with different boards and give inspiring speeches (Knight 245).

What makes Addams important is that she no matter what, puts others before herself (Vimont). Even though she came from a wealthy background; her empathy towards others allowed her to give back to the people in her community, rather than taking advantage of her money (Vimont). Jane Addams was extremely beneficial to US history. From fighting for women's rights to world peace, she always exerted a caring and kind approach (Knight 163). Learning about people like Addams proves that you don’t have to sweep things under the rug, you can break barriers and address the problems head-on no matter what people think of you. Just because nobody else is speaking up, doesn’t mean that you have to keep quiet. Her activism was a key role in history, and we couldn’t do it without her.