Introduction
Jane Addams (1860-1935) was an American sociologist, social worker, author, public philosopher, and women’s rights activist. Jane was born in Cedarville, Illinois. She was born in well up family as the youngest of nine children. Her father was a prominent businessperson and served as the Illinois State senator from 1855 to 1870. She received her education from the Rockford Female Seminary (now Rockford University) in Rockford, Illinois (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). In her early life, Jane Addams loved reading and that is how she came to learn about the plight of poor people in Cedarville. She wanted to become a doctor so that she would help the poor people. She got her medical school training at Woman’s Medical College of Philadelphia. However, she could not complete her medical degree due to illness and a spinal operation. She later travelled to London where she learnt of the Toynbee Hall (a building and charitable organization to help poor people) (Addams, 2012). Upon returning to the US in 1889, Jane started an initiative similar to the Toynbee Hall in Chicago. She started Hull House, which became the first settlement house in Near West Side, an area that had many European Immigrants (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). As such, Jane Addams started her sociology and social worker careers that would have huge influences on the lives of many people.
Hull House became a household name in social progress of Near West Side and its environs. The establishment housed children, and offered education for adults as well as serving as a cultural and social progress centre. While running Hull House, Jane began to engage in politics so that she could establish new laws to protect the poor (Addams, 1912). She assembled a group of like-minded young women who became the female face of democratization during the Progressive Era. Jane led her group to oversee massive interest in the emancipation of women. Several social laws were passed and Jane managed to increase public interest in racial and social tensions in the country. Jane’s Hull House organized its neighborhood work professionally and brought to the fore the professionalism of women who engaged in social work.
Jane’s group conducted intense reserch on the social issues affecting Chicago and its environs. They developed maps and reports on concentration of different ethnicities and their living conditions. They also explored child labor, sweatshops among other social issues that bedeviled the industrial Chicago city (Addams & Bryan, 2009). Jane’s approach to mapping led to the establishment of the Chicago School in Urban Sociology. Although Jane’s activities comprised more of data collection and mapping of sociological issues, her work contributed immensely to the sociology researches done by Robert E. Park, George Herbert Mead and other sociologists who attended Chicago School in Urban Sociology (Addams & Bryan, 2009).
Jane Addams later engaged professional interventions and structured research that saw her raise American interest in social work. Many famous people visited Hull House and launched several social work projects there. Julia Lathrop, with whom Jane Addams had founded the social movement in the US, became the first director of the newly established Children’s Federal Bureau in 1912 (Addams & Bryan, 2009). Lathrop managed to raise concerns about child deaths and child labor.
Jane Addams and her group developed some a sociological theory. Her theory was based on the use of research to reform the society by finding the root cause of social problems that emanated from industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. Addams led a group of sociologists to document the prevalence of typhoid fever. She also led the investigations to the social impacts of poor worker beating the brunt of illnesses (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). Her sociological research identified that business avarice and political corruption caused by the city bureaucracy to ignore building codes, health and sanitation of the poor people. Addams managed to link municipal reforms and environmental justice thereby defeating the city bosses and fostering equitable distribution of services in the city. She also fought prostitution in the city that exploited the poor urban women and led to the deteriorations of social ethics. In 1912, she published a report about prostitution titled “A New Conscience and Ancient Evil”. She also wrote a book about white slave trade that was connected to prostitution (Addams & Elshtain, 2002).
Jane Addams was involved in the fight for children’s rights. She emphasized on the importance of women in the maintenance of a sustainable American society. She stated that new immigrants and their children needed to be incorporated into the American lifestyle. Her major emphasis was on children who she stated that they held the central position in the realization of a cohesive and socially healthy American nation. In her 1909 book, she argued that recreation and play in children were important for their development and socialization (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). Her settlement program at Hull House featured several drama and art sessions. There were also kindergarten classes, reading groups, boys’ and girls’ clubs, public baths, gymnasium, playground, language classes, free-speech atmosphere, and a labor museum (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). The setting at Hull House supported cohesiveness of individuals and downplayed individualism.
Jane’s settlement movement led her to become a leading force of compassion during the First World War. She even earned the nickname “Saint Jane” due to her social work. She founded the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919 (Addams & Bryan, 2009). Her organization agitated to get the great powers to resolve their differences and restoration of peace. During the World War 1, she chaired a women’s conference for peace that was held in The Hague, Netherlands. She opposed the entry of the USA in the war and the US government even branded her as being dangerous to the US security (Addams & Bryan, 2009). Later the US government recognized her efforts and backed up her social activist. Jane’s peace and social work efforts led her to win the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize. To date, American and world sociologists celebrate Jane Addam’s social work. Hull House is now a museum in Illinois and December 10 is celebrated as Jane Addams Day. Further, the University of Illinois named the Social Work Department as the Jane Addams College of Social Work.
Addams believed that individual action in social work ought to be for the welfare of the community. She believed in being proactive in social work and hence her establishment of the Hull House settlement home in Chicago. Addams further believed that society ought to be a huge network of people who team up in order to reach ethical and material interests, which she believed to be the hallmark of social democracy (Addams & Bryan, 2009).
Addams was interested more in the micro-level social interactions rather that the institutional and macro social structures. She believed in acts and emotions of kindness, which were the anchor of her social work and sociology perspectives. She believed that emotions coupled with material assistance to needy persons in the community could transform the community. Addams realized that the transformation of social democracy to politically acceptable creed faced two major tensions (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). The first was overcoming belief in individualism while the second was the difficulty people had in collective understanding of each other’s vantage point. Addams offered three ways to solve the above sociological tensions. First was the informal encouragement of people to interact with people outside their social class, ethnicity, and gender. Second, Addams suggested that people out to be offered formal education in order to recognize the legitimacy of social democracy (Addams & Bryan, 2009). Thirdly, Addams suggested that people could use historical memories in an effort to re-discover their relationship with their society.
Jane Addams never referred to herself as a sociologist only her works attested to her as such. In her speeches, she never referred to a leader but instead chose to refer to herself as “Jane Addams of Hull-House”. She was opposed to the formal categorization of her profession and work. She later identified herself with sociologists by teaching and writing sociology. Some Addams books include Newer Ideals of peace, Spirit of Youth, Twenty Years at Hull House and Democracy and Social ethics. Addams worked with many other sociologists
Conclusion
Jane Addams (1860-1935) was an American sociologist. She is famous for establishing the Hull House-a settlement and social centre in the city of Chicago. The sociologist was a proactive person who led other women and sociologists to offer help to needy people. Addams valued emotional kindness as well as offering material and practical help to needy people. She conducted reserch and data collection in the Chicago city on social issues such as diseases, prostitution, unemployment, homelessness, and other social issues that affected many urban dwellers. In addition, Addams played a critical role in agitating for world peace and stability during World War 1. In all, Jane Addams was a significant sociologist whose theory on pro-activism in social work is a central pillar to the current institutional and structural social movements.
References
Addams, J. (1912). Recreation as a Public Function in Urban Communities. American Journal of Sociology, 17(5), 615.
Addams, J., & Elshtain, J. B. (2002). The Jane Addams reader. New York: Basic Books.
Addams, J., & Bryan, M. L. (2009). The selected papers of Jane Addams. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
