Posted by 8Jessica on September 27, 2009 at 10:24pm
Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois. She was 8 of 9 children. When Jane was two years old her mother died of tuberculosis during pregnancy. Her father remarried when Jane was eight. He wanted her to get as much education as possible. Jane graduated from Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois, then attended Women's Medical College of Philadelphia. After dropping out Jane's father died, her and her mother decided to tour Europe together.
In 1889 Jane and her friend founded the first settlement house in the United States. The Hull House was named after Charles Hull who built it in 1856. Funding came from the $50,000 dollars that she inherited from her fathers death. The Hull House provided many different things, and was visited by nearly 2000 people each week. Which Included, a night school for adults, kindergarten classes, clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery, a coffeehouse, a gymnasium, a girls club, bathhouse, a book bindery, a music school, a drama group, a library, and labor-related divisions. Soon, the Hull House became a 13 building settlement.
Peace Movement.Jane was elected president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She was a Pacifist. This means that she believed that disputes between nations should and can be settled peacefully. When Jane spoke at meetings, she recieved negative comback and the New Your Times News Paper called her "unpatriotic". Jane traveled to Europe and Asia to meet and discuss other women's feelings on Peace. These efforts came with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. Jane Addams was the first U.S. woman to win this prize and was applauded for her "expression of an essentially American democracy."
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