People: Jane Addams

Jane Addams Social Worker, Reformer, Pacifist In 1931, Jane Addams was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Addams, intelligent middle-class women of the late nineteenth century were educated, but society often dictated a life of uselessness. Searching for an outlet for her skills and spirit, she visited England and found Toynbee Hall, a famous settlement house. Addams decided to bring the ideas discovered in London home to Chicago. In one of Chicago’s worst slums, she started Hull House. It was designed originally for young middle-class women wanting more than a homemaker’s life. But Hull House soon developed into a center for the poor people of the neighborhood, giving them an introduction to different cultures. It became a home for working girls, a boys’ club and provided numerous other services. Thousands visited it. Hull House was the motivation for many similar settlement houses in other cities. The success of Hull House thrust Addams into the national spotlight. She spoke and wrote on numerous reform issues from women’s suffrage to pacifism. She received honorary degrees from many universities and was an adviser to several presidents.