Introduction
Social work has many ways and opportunities for action as it is associated with the problems of people who need help. For this reason, one can refer to pioneers and prominent people of social work as authors-theoreticians, who explore and create theories, reformers who adopt laws, and practitioners who give people assistance. Jane Addams is one of such pioneers as the activist and scientist is best known for her practical contributions to the development of social service system.
Biography
Jane Addams’ early years were not much different from the lives of most middle-class girls. Jane was born on September 6, 1860, in Cedarville, Illinois. John Huy Addams, Jane’s father, was a successful businessman who married Anna Haldeman after his first wife and Jane’s mother died. Jane Addams entered the Rockford Seminary, where students were taught the rules of the missionary or married life, under the influence of her father, although she wanted to study at Smith College in Massachusetts (“Jane Addams,” 1992). Since Addams did not want to devote her life to family life or missionary work, after the unexpected death of her father, she entered medical college but dropped out due to health problems (“Jane Addams,” 1992). Addams was looking for a purpose in her life to be beneficial to society.
Two trips to Europe helped define Addams’ calling and become one of the most prominent social workers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. On the first trip, Addams was horrified by the conditions of life in London, where hundreds of people live in hunger and poverty (“Jane Addams,” 1992). The repeated trip brought similar impressions; however, a visit to one of the settlement houses identified a path that could solve this problem. After returning to the United States, Addams and her best friend from college, Ellen Gates Starr, bought an old mansion in Chicago and, in 1889, opened Hull House – settlement house for migrants and people in the area in need of help (“Jane Addams,” 1992). Although Hull House was not the first settlement house, it was a pioneer in function and infrastructure. In addition, the administration of the Hull House allowed Addams to oversee the major trends and issues of welfare and social work. During her life, Addams wrote over 500 articles and 15 books that dealt with issues of social equality, feminism, child labor, and other aspects of social justice (Anderson & Herr, 2007). Although most of these works are unknown to the general public, they inspired many sociological work theorists and contemporaries of Addams.
Addams continued to work at Hull House; however, in parallel, she was engaged in activist work against US participation in the war, promoting pacifism, and protecting the rights of women, children, and people of color. In 1911 Jane Addams co-founded the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers (“Jane Addams, ” 2017). In 1915, she also co-founded the Woman’s Peace Party, which was later renamed the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (Anderson & Herr, 2007). Addams continued her activities in the United States and Europe and as a result, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 as recognition of her lifetime work. On May 21, 1935, Jane Addams died from multiple health problems in Chicago (“Jane Addams,” 1992). However, her legacy is still relevant and significant today.
Jane Addams’s Contribution to Social Service Field
Although Jane Addams’ diligent work has made significant contributions to many areas of life in the United States, she is considered a pioneer of the system of social services through settlement houses. Addams opened the Hull House in 1889, which was not the first such facility globally and even in the United States but had a qualitatively different level. Addams offered people not only temporary shelter and food but also childcare, art and music lessons, a library, a swimming pool, and a drama club. The Hull House’s services also provided an adult literacy night school, a boarding club for working girls, and an employment bureau (Anderson & Herr, 2007). All of these opportunities became available to Hull House because Addams attracted local institutions and organizations to collaborate and draw the attention of the authorities.
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States were a period of increased migration and urbanization due to economic growth and the development of factories. In 1880-1915, about 30 million immigrants arrived in the United States, most of whom settled in large cities such as Chicago (“Immigrants,” n.d.; “City life,” n.d.). However, this overcrowding meant that many migrants and poor people could not find work or took on the lowest paid and difficult jobs. As a result, every third person living in the city was close to starving to death (“Cities during,” n.d.). Therefore, in such a society, the work of the Hull House and Jane Addams was vital as salvation for people.
Therefore, Addams has helped thousands of migrants, poor people, women, widows, single mothers, injured workers, and others stranded to reintegrate into societies. The services of the Hull House were used not only by homeless or unemployed people but also by those who wanted to improve their financial and social situation. Addams and home workers helped look after children, taught adults to read and write, helped migrants adapt to American society, found jobs, and provided legal services. In addition, the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, organized by Addams in 1911, promoted the spread of this format of settlement houses throughout the country. In fact, this format of the Settlement House corresponds to modern social assistance centers and public services.
Jane Addams’s Legacy
The work of Jane Addams at the Hull House greatly influenced the development of the social work field, which is relevant today. First, Addams has helped hundreds of people survive and reintegrate into the community with her services and become its useful members. This format of the settlement house became the first and main for the further development of social work, and it is used in social support centers to this day. Although the Hull House itself no longer functions for its original purpose, it is a museum that tells the story of social work and Jane Addams. The Hull House also made it possible to form a hypothesis that the physical and social environment affects the development of a person and community, which is key in modern sociology and social services (Salvo, n.d.). Hence, Jane Addams pioneered the development of the social work field and created the social service format that is still used today in the United States.
Conclusion
Thus, this review shows that Jane Addams was one of the key people in the development of the field of social work and a pioneer in social services. Her work has helped hundreds of poor people and immigrants to improve their financial and social situation and survive in the difficult state of American life in the early twentieth century. However, Addams’ most important contribution is that she proved that supporting social services is an effective tool for developing society and its members
References
Cities during the progressive era. (n.d.).
City life in the late 19th century. (n.d.).
Immigrants in the progressive era. (n.d.).
Jane Addams. (1992). In Contemporary Heroes and Heroines (Vol. 2). Gale.
Salvo, V. (n.d.). Jane Addams – Inductee. The Legacy Project. Web.