Laura Jane Addams: Social Scientist/Activist
Laura Jane Addams (1860-1935) was a sociologist, social activist, and women’s suffrage leader. Jane Addams life story is one of devotion to worthwhile studies, such as poverty and education, and of political activism in the areas of women’s suffrage and women’s and children’s civil rights.. Ms. Addams contributions in the field of sociology were groundbreaking and timely. As co-founder of the Hull House in Chicago, Illinois, Jane applied her knowledge to sociology and education. A Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1931, the life and legacy of Jane Addams provide worthwhile study.
Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860, to Sarah and John H, Addams in Cedarville, Illinois. The youngest of nine children, it is fortunate that the Addams family was prosperous. Jane’s father was a banker and state senator, and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, which could account for the seeds of her belief in equality and dignity. Jane was heavily influenced by the political currents of her childhood and the strained social atmosphere she lived through. Although Jane’s economic birthright was enviable, she was born with a spinal defect. Surgery for this condition proved helpful, yet it did not fully resolve Ms. Addams physical difficulty. Jane never married or had children.
Educated both in the United States and Europe, Ms. Addams graduated from Rockford Female Seminary, now known as Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois. While in Europe, Jane visited London, England and was affected by her exposure to poverty and slum conditions, as well as experience with new and different philosophies and ideologies. Jane visited Toynbee Hall, a settlement house in London and was influenced by the service it provided. Later, she would employ that experience to very good ends in the United States. One essay seemed to have influenced Jane Addams. “The Bitter Cry of Outcast London: An Inquiry into the Condition of the Abject Poor” was published by Andrew Mearns in 1883. Mearns studied the...
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