аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Photo by Bain News Services –

Top 10 Facts about Jane Addams.

Jane Addams was a social reform activist, an administrator, an educator and a pacifist.

She carried out observations and commented on various issues affecting the less privileged immigrant society in Chicago.

She was a trailblazer owing to the nature of activities that she delved into and exhibited a consummate commitment to causes close to her heart.

Her choices of engagements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were ahead of her time.

Addams was amongst the pioneer founding members of local, national and global movements like pacifists, feminism, labour unions and the social reform movement.

Born on 6th September 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois, Laura Jane Addams was the youngest of 8 children. Unfortunately, she lost her mother as a toddler.

Let’s look at 10 facts about Jane Addams.

1. Jane Addams is a Nobel Peace Laureate.

Photo by on

 The Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 went to Jane Addams. The award was due to outstanding contributions in pursuit of world peace.

However, Jane Adams was not able to travel to Oslo, Norway to receive it as she was hospitalized. Her health had deteriorated due to a heart attack suffered earlier in 1926.

The award was jointly bestowed to Jane and Nicholas Murray Butler. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the duo was awarded “for their assiduous effort to revive the ideal of peace and to rekindle the spirit of peace in their nation and the whole of mankind.”

2. Jane Adams had a Privileged Upbringing.

Photo by Chicago Daily News –

Although Jane Addams had a passion for helping poor people in her community, she was born into a well to do family.

She was the child of John Huy Addams and Sarah Weber Addams.  Her father was a wealthy landowner, banker, flour mills owner and politician.

He served as a state senator of Illinois (1885-1870) and counted Abraham Lincoln amongst his close friends.

Due to the passing of Jane’s mother early in her life, she was profoundly influenced by her idealist and philanthropic father.

Unlike most women of her time, she received a good education at the Rockford Female Seminary where she excelled in academics and leadership.

Although women were discouraged from pursuing sciences she went ahead and had a stint at Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, this was cut short by spinal surgery to correct a congenital condition.

3. Jane Addams was a Social Reformer.

In the 19th century, women were seen as homemakers and caregivers. This view cut across the social classes.

Jane Addams challenged this notion by learning from the Toynbee Hall social interventions in the East End slums of London.

Further, she opened the Hull House in one of Chicago’s most impoverished immigrant slums.

To petition relevant authorities with proposals to improve the life of the poor, Jane developed a systematic model of assessment.

Subsequently, she introduced an intervention of the community’s needs anchored on social justice.

4. Jane Addams was a Public Administrator.

Photo courtesy of

Addams’s work at Hall Hall rose to prominence and her stature grew. Miss  Addams was appointed to public administration in Chicago.

She managed several public institutions, for instance, the Chicago Board of Education and was president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections.

Her contribution to various social issues included drug abuse research, sanitation, health care and garbage collection inspection.

On account of the selfless embrace of her civic duties, Yale University awarded her an honorary degree in 1910 making her the first woman to receive it.

5. Jane Addams was a Pacifist.

Image by from

In 1898, Adams joined the Anti-Imperialist League to voice opposition to the annexation of the Philippines by the USA.

In her quest to spread the message of peace she toured America and Europe giving lectures. To further her cause she also published a book titled Newer Ideals of Peace.

As she pushed for peace through her talks she openly voiced opposition to USA’s entry into the 1st World War.  S

he was elected  President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

6. Jane Addams Redefined Democracy.

In collaboration with renowned philosopher John Dewey, they held in-depth discussions on democracy as a system of governance.

Jointly, they viewed democracy from a pragmatic and collaborative perspective.

According to Addams, the definition of democracy in the 19th century emphasized form over function.

She aimed to enhance the scope by arguing that the focus should shift from looking at the effectiveness of the structure which was purely political.

Instead, she wanted it to address how democracy directly impacted the social and economic life of the citizen.

She believed democracy needed citizen activism to improve its effectiveness.

7. Jane Addams was a much Sought after Teacher.

Photo by Bain News Agency- Wikimedia

Miss Addams studied the dynamics of poor communities, crime, labour relations, social amenities, settlement and housing amongst other community needs. 

She dreaded censorship of her beliefs thus declined university employment.

Addams was an adult education teacher.

She wrote papers for the American Sociological Society for which she was a prominent female member during the early 19th century.

8. Jane Addams was a Lesbian.

In the late 18th Century, post-graduate life meant a transition to marriage and nurturing of the family.

Miss Addams held very divergent opinions on marriage. She saw them as restrictive to women as it impeded them from applying their talents.

The fact is, she founded Hull house as an alternative to marriage for young post-graduate ladies.

Jane and Ellen Starr were the first residents of Hull House where they lived and referred to each other as a married couple.

Nonetheless,  they grew apart and their romance suffered. For the latter part of her life,  Addams settled with Mary Rozet Smith who also funded Hull House programmes. 

9. She Founded Hull House Which Inspired other Settlement Houses in the USA.

Jane Addams speaks to visitors to the Hull House in 1935. Photo by National Archives –

 Addams visited and observed the workings of Toynbee Hall in the slums of East End London.

In 1889, she partnered with Ellen Starr to open the Hull House a settlement house to provide services to the underserved migrant population living in squalor.

Hull House provided learned middle-class ladies with alternative activities away from marriage.

The Hull House expanded to providing services like; child care, theatre activities, employment bureau, housing, night school, library and girls boarding facilities.

In the founding stages, she used her money to renovate the Hull House.

As Hull Hall activities expanded she call on wealthy families to solicit donations to run programmes.

10. Jane Addams was a Published Author.

Photo by Moffett –

She wrote papers and published books on her works.

She has over 20 books to her name: 20 Years at Hull House, The Spirit of Youth and the City Street, Newer Ideals of Peace, Democracy and Social Ethics and The Long Road of Woman’s Memory amongst others.

Jane Addams’s writings amplified her stand on social reform.

Jane Addams was born in a period when women were considered second class citizens.

On a personal level, she stepped outside of the societal norms for a woman in her time.

She utilized her voice and intellect to push for inclusive reforms for minorities.

She started local and grew into an international activist and an advisor to some U.S.A Presidents.