Jane Addams and her contributions to social reform

Jane Addams: Honor Before Popularity

Jane Addams wanted many things in her life, but first and foremost, she wanted to live a life that was useful and of service to others. Before World War I, Addams was probably the most beloved woman in America. "In a newspaper poll that asked, "Who among our contemporaries are of the most value to the community?" Jane Addams was second, after Thomas Edison." (p. 28) Jane Addams promoted her democratic ideals as the founder of a settlement house, educator, author, labor advocate, and suffragist. But more than that, she maintained a lifestyle that reflected those beliefs and left a legacy of democratic values behind her.

Addams lectured and wrote widely on her views. She published the first of many books, Democracy and Social Ethics, in 1902. She influenced children and women's labor laws, welfare procedures, industrial standards, workplace safety, and the juvenile court system, among other things. Addams and others from Hull House lobbied for passage of the 1903 child labor law and for mandatory school attendance laws, which helped get children out of the workforce and into schools. Hull House supporters were vital to the passage of the federal child labor law of 1916 and the formation of the Federal Children's Bureau; a law that could not have been passed without the passionate support and encouragement of Jane Addams.

"Addams frequently spoke as the "majority of one" when espousing democracy for all." (p. 72) And sometimes these ideas were scorned, laughed at, rejected. But Jane Addams never lacked an audience and she never quit giving that audience something to take home with them. Nor did she allow public opinion to dissuade her from what she believed the morally right course: to uphold the dignity and worth of the human community. Not only did she talk the talk, but she walked the walk, something that is rare in the arena of politics. "She accepted financial backing only from like-minded donors, for she would not compromise her values about humane working conditions." (p. 43) Not only was she diligent in her passionate beliefs, but she demanded that those who wished to associate with her kept up the same standards of excellence.

She criticized war even when her former supporters insulted her, calling her "unpatriotic for her role in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom." (p. 47) She was an advocate for women's and children's rights, opposing child labor, lynching, and charity. She supported trades unions, the NAACP, and social science. Jane Addams dedicated her life to fighting injustice in any place that it could be found, both physical and morally. She boldly made it her mission to help get things right in America, so that we could live in not only a democracy but in a country that helps people in times of need.

But she was more than just a social worker, as some people label her role in history. Not only did she pursue her own dreams, but she acted like a catalyst in helping others realize theirs. She taught by example and showed people the importance of upholding values of personal integrity and social democracy. By the time of her death, May 21, 1935, the world had become Jane Addams' neighborhood and people feared the world would never see another like her.

She had many colleagues that fought with her and after her death. Lucia Ames Mead was one of them, a lesser-known contemporary that helped Addams expand the concepts that she spent her life advocating. She shared with Addams the idea that "peace is most readily attainable if we go beyond the 'pity' or 'prudence' traditions, and instead take steps toward altruism and internationalism." (p. 157) Together, these two women tried to teach the world about peace and altruism in politics.

Obviously, Jane Addams was an extraordinary woman; she improved the lives in both the public and private spheres of her time. Society, even as it is today, is that way in no small part because of the life of Jane Addams. But what was it about her that enabled to have such vision and to make such changes in America? I believe it was her passionate beliefs and the fact she could not turn her cheek to the injustice she saw around her. Not marrying or having children, Jane committed her whole life to making these changes -- a feat not small for anyone, especially a woman of her time. Her influence was incredible and left an indelible mark, proven by her 11 books still widely read today. "So great has been the lasting effect of her works that Jane Addams has been described as one of our "founding foremothers." (p. 13) But did the "golden age" of democracy in American pass by with the death of Jane Addams or are there women just like her working for us today?