Re is a de Es udios No eame ic
a110
s, n.9 4 ( 1996), pp.
29
-
33
JANE
ADDAMS
AND
AMERICAN
URBAN
REFORM
ALLEN
F.
D
AV
IS
Temple Uni e si y
Jane Addams was he mos amous
o
a g oup
o
idealis ic Ame icans who ied
o humanize he indus ial ci y a he
um
o
he cen u y. In luenced by John Ruskin and
o he Eu opean w i e s, as well as by hei own expe ience, hey mo ed in o wo king-
class neighbo hoods, and om hei ou pos s in he slums hey ied o ans o n he
u ban landscape. They ough agains child labo and ied o imp o
e
housing. The
pionnee ed in es ablishing kinde ga ens and hey we e leade s in p og essi e educa ion.
They ied o ease he p ocess
o
Ame icaniza ion among hei la gely o eigh-bo n
neighbo s.
The
wo ked
o
imp o e ci y go e nmen , o build pa ks and playg ounds,
and o b ing a sense
o
communi y o he ci y. Thei ul ima e goal was o elimina e
po e y and o p omo e equal oppo uni y. Some imes hey we e nai e, o en hey
be ayed hei uppe -middle class backg ound. Thei c usades we e a bes only pa ly
success ul. Ye one hund ed yea s la e as we seem o be en eloped in ano he age
o
g eed, ano he ime
o
u ban c isis, Jane Addams and he co-wo ke s, and hei e o s
o change he u ban en i onmen , and o p omo e a be e li e o ali, seem wo h ecalling.
Jane Addams was bom in Ceda ille, a small illage in no h
em
Illinois, no a
om he Wiscons
in
bo de . He a he was a weal hy and in luencia! businessman,
mille , a ne and poli ician. Despi e a a he complex amily and a s ep-mo he wi h
whom she did
no
ge along, Jane Addams
hada
no mal, ac i e, u al childhood. Like a
g ea many o he s
o he
gene a ion she le he small own o mo e o he ci y,
bu
she
had a wa m a ec ion o he home own, a eal sense
o
place, and she e umed equen ly
e en a e
she
became amous. Memo ies
o
he u al childhhod, and he sense
o
communi y in he small own because a e e ence poin o e alua ing and unde s anding
he massi e changes and he g ow h
o
indus ial ci ies ha ook place du ing he li e ime.
Jane Adda ns was one
o
he i s gene a ion
o
college women. A ew young
30
A/len
F.
Da i
s
women had a ended Moun Holyoke, Obe lin,
o
one
o
a small hand ul
o
o he
colleges
be o e he ci il Wa , bu hey usually ecei ed he equi alen
o
a high school
a he
han a college educa ion.
I
was no un il he ounding
o
Vassa in 1861, Smi h in
1872,
Wellesley in 1875,
B yn
Maw
in
1886, and he g adual
mo emen
owa d
limi ed
co-
educa ion
a
Comell, Ha a d
anda
numbe
o
s a e uni e si ies in he mid-Wes ,
ha
college educa ion o women in he Uni ed S a es became a eali y. JaneAddams
wan ed
o
a end Smi h College, in pa because i had
he
same
high s anda ds o
admission
ha he bes men
's
colleges main ained. Bu ,
he
a he insis ed ha she s ay
close
o
home, so in 1877 she en olled a he Rock o d Female Semina y (la e Rock o d College),
which
did
no e en ha e collegia e s a us when Jane Addams en e ed. She
planned
o
ans e , bu she s ayed
on
o g adua e in l 881. To
be
a college woman,
whe he
a
Vassa
o
Ro
ck o d,
ook
so ne cou age in 1877. J us ou
yea s
ea lie D .
Edwa d
H.
Cla ke, a p o esso a Ha a d Medica! School,
had
w i en a li le book, Sex in Educa ion,
in which he a gued ha highe educa ion o women would in e e e wi h he ep oduc i e
sys em and lead o ne ous p os a ion
anda
gene al decline o heal h.
Bu
, Jane
Addams
was de e mined o become a college woman,
and
he
college yea s we e c ucial
o
he
la e ca ee .
Bu , wha did a woman college g adua e
do
in 1881?
The e
we e e y ew
ields
open o wo nen o he han eaching, a ca ee
she
ejec ed.
She
ied medica) school,
bu
d opped
ou
a e a ew mon hs. She a eled in Eu ope.
She
ca ed o he
sis e
's
child en.
She
had bou s
o
illness and nea ne ous collapse.
I
ook
he
eigh
yea s
o
lounde ing be o e s
he
ound some hing use ul
o
do
wi h
he
lil e.
She
disco e ed
he
calling on
he
seco
nd
Eu opean ip in 1888.
In
he
au obiog aphy, Twen y Yea s
a
Hull-House, she a gues ha
i
was
a a
bull igh in Mad id ha
she
inally ealized
he
olly
o
s udy and a el
and
decided o do some hing c ea i e and eal wi h he li e.
He
le e , howe e , indica es ha i was mo e likely in
London
ha she
made
he
decision. She was a eling wi h
he
college iend, Ellen S a , when s
he
isi ed Toynbee
Hall
, he pionee uni e si y se le nen in he
Eas
End
o
London.
Yea s la e , Jane Addams in w i ing abou he in luences behind he se le
men
mo emen always di ided hem in o he «Subjec i e neccesi y» and
h
e «objec i e need».
By «subjec i e)) s
he
mean he need o highly educa ed
young
people like
he
se
l
o
ind some hing meaningul o
do
in a wo ld ha was as becoming di ided
be we
en
hose who wo ked wi h hei hands and hose
who
wo ked wi h hei ninds. College-
educa ed women el especially cu
o
and i
so
la ed om he eal wo ld
o
he ci ies.
The
objec i e need
o
se lemen s was ob ius
o
anyone
who
obse ed he slums
o he
g ea ci ies whe e millions we e c owded in o
poo
housing, whe e disease and
dea h
haun ed he Ji es
o
adul s and child en alike.
Du ing he s
umme o
18
89 Jane Addams and Ellen S a amped a ound Chicago
ying o ind a place o launch hei shemc. They inally se led
on
a dilapida ed
mansion
o ne ly owned
by
Cha les J. Hull ( hus he o igin
o
he
name
Hull-House). The
house
was one
o
he ew in he a ea o su i e he i e
o
1871,
hen
Jane and Ellen disco e ed
Jane Addams
and
Ame ican U ban Re o m
31
i , he e was a
sa
loon,
an
o ice, and a s o age loo , wi h an unde ake and ano he
saloon nex doo . In he beginning, hey en ed only a po ian
o
he house. Bu , when
hey mo ed in on Sep embe 18, 1889, along wi h a housekeepe , whom hey hi ed,
hey hough
o
i
as a home no an ins i u ion.
Jane Addams and Ellen S a had ew de ini e plans
whe
n hey mo ed in o Hull-
House. They umished he house, unpack
ed
he pic u es hey had pu chased in Eu ope,
in i ed hei neighbo s
in,
and began doing wha hey knew bes - eaching, Jec u ing,
and explaining hei a objec s. They o ganized a eadings g oup o discuss Geo ge
Elio 's Romo
/a
and hey se
upan
a
exhibi . One o hei p og ams
a
Hull-House was
eso e ic, oman ic, e en pa onizing. Bu , he ounde s we e lexible and willing o
change. They disco e ed a need o child
ca
e so hey s a ed a kinde ga en. They
began classes in English, and o ganized clubs and social e enings o he mo he s in he
neighbo hood. They in i ed labo unions o mee
a
he se lemen , o ganized coope a i e
esidence o wo king women, and in 1893 hey s a ed a music school.
Hull-Hou
se
was no he i s social se lemen
in
he Uni ed S a es, he e we e a
leas wo o he s ha we e ounded ea lie , bu Hull-House quickly became he mos
amous. The ame and in luence
o
Hull-House was di ec ly ela ed o he alen ed
people a ac ed o he se lemen .
Th
e Hull-House g oup shi ed and changed o e he
yea s and he physical plan expanded, e en ually g owing o hi een buildings ha
occupied mo e han a ci y block. The e we e
menas
well
as
women. Edwa d Bu cha d,
a young college g adua e who la e became he Sec e a y
o
he Na ional Communi y
Cen e Associa ion, was he i s mal e esiden ; he e was also Geo ge
Ho
oke , Di ec o
o
he Chicago Ci y Club and an expe on ci y planning, F ancis Hacke , a w i e and
edi o , Ge a d Swope,
la
e
he p esiden
o
Gene al Elec ic, and many o he including
Cha les Bea d, he his o ian, and William Lyon Mackenzie King,
h
e u u e p ime
minis
e
o Canada. O he s close
ly
associa ed wi h Hull-House
as
isi o s, suppo e s,
and ad ise s we e Richa d
T.
Ely, he economis , John Dewey, he philosophe and
edu
ca
ional e o ne , and Hen y Dema es Lloyd, he
mu
ck aking
jo
umalis . Ye , o
ali he imp essi ed m
en
i was he ema kable g oup
o
women who made Hull-House
amous and in luencial.
Among he mos impo an!
in
he ea ly yea s we e Julia La h op and Flo ence
Kelle
y.
La h
o
p ca ne om much he
sa
me backg ound as Jane Addams. He a he
was a s
uc
cess ul lawye and poli ician in Rock o d, Illinois; he mo he , a membe
o
he i s g adua ing cla
ss
a Rock o d Semina y, was an ea ly ad oca e
o
woman su age.
She wen o Rock o d, as did Jane Addams, bu hen she ans e ed o
Va
ssa . Bu a e
college she mo ed home and wo ked o he a he in his law o ice. She
sa
w Jane
Addam
s'
appeal as a way o li e up
o
he college ideal
s.
She mo ed o he se lemen
in 1890 and quickly became one
o
i s
mo
s impo an e esiden s.
She
was a alen ed
execu
i
e who was appoin ed a membe
o
he Illinois Boa d
o
Cha i ies in 1893. She
helped o o ganize he i s Ju enile Cou and he Immig an P o ec i e League. In
191
2 she was appoin ed he i s head
o
he Child en 's Bu eau in Washing on.
32 A/len
F.
Da
is
Flo ence Kelley, be a e she ca ne
o
Hull-House, had expe iences qui e
di e en
om Jane Addams, Ellen S a , and Julia La h op.
The
daugh e
o
a cong essman and
judge,
she
g ew up in an uppe -class amily
in
Philadelphia. A e g adua ing
om
Comell, she applied a g adua e wo k a he Uni e si y
o
Pennsyl ania, bu hey e
je
c ed
he applica ion because she was a woma
n.
No
o
be
denied she e
n
o
ll
ed a he
Un
i
e si y
o
Zu ich, one
o
he
ew Eu opean uni e si ies ha ook
women
a
g adu e
s udy
in
he social sciences.
In
Swi ze land she disco e ed sociali
sm
and ma ied a
Ru
ssian
physician. She ansla ed
on
e
o
F ied ich En ge Is books in o English. A e she
e u
med
o
New
Yo k, he ma iage collapse
d.
In 1891 she mo ed wi h he
h
ee
child
en
o
Illinois,
in
pa because he di o ce laws we e mo e lenien han in New Yo k.
She
wa
s
a la ge woman, ene ge ic and de e mined. She was a impo an addi ion o he
Hull
-
House g oup.
The e we e o he women as well. Ma y Kenney O
'S
ulli an and Alzina S
e ens
had expe ience
in
he labo mo emen
.
Alice Hamil on was ained as a physician
and
became a pionee
in
indus ial medicine and he üs women p o esso a Ha a d Medica!
School. G a
ce
and Edi h Abbo ca ne om Io
wa
o
Hu
ll-House. Edi h along wi h
ano
he
Hull-Hou
se
e
si
den , Sphonisba B eckin idge, beca
me
pionee s
in
he new ield
o
so-
cial wo k a he
Un
i e si y
o
Chicago, while G ace became di ec o
o
he
Immig
an
P o
ec
i
e
League b
e a e
eplacing La h op
as
head
o
he Child en's Bu eau.
Hull-
House became a aining g ound o he
i
s gene a ion
o
p o essional women
who
mo ed on o he uni e si ies, go emmen and municipal agencies, whe e hey
beca
me
w i e s, esea che s and execu i es, as well as e o me s de e mined o imp o e
li e
in
he ci ies and o
so
l
e
he wo se p oblems c ea ed by indus ialism.
Bu
, Hull-H
ouse
was mo e han a aining g ound;
i
was a s imula ing place o
li
e, and a place o an
al ema i e li es yle o a la ge numbe
o
single women (
anda
ew men). Mos
es
i
de
n
s
had h
ei
own ooms and a ce ain amoun
o
p i acy away om he u moil
o
he
se lemen ac i i i
es
. They also a e in he
commo
n dining oom, o Hull-House
was
se ed by c
oo
ks and maids. I was a ound he dining oom able (o e which
Jane
Addams
p
esided) ha he esiden s could alk o e p oblems, plan e o
nn
campaigs,
and deba e social heo ies wi h he dis inguis
hed
gues s who o en d opped in, no
o
he quali y
o
he ood, bu a he o he
qu
ali y
o
he con e sa ion. Hen y D
ema es
Lloyd once
ca
ll
ed Hull-House, «The bes Club in
Ch
icago». Cha lo e Pe kins Gilman,
who la e became amous o «
Th
e Yellow Wallpape », and Women and Economics,
was
so
s imula
ed
by he common dinning oom ha she la
e
sugges ed an
ideal
apa
men
hou
se whe e he indi idual uni s would ha e no ki chens so women cou
ld
be
eed
o
he d udge y o
p
epa ing meals.
Hull-
Hou
se was
an
exci ing place o li e, bu jus
ou
side
h
e doo we e all
h
e
p oblems,
he
di , disease, and despai ha
made
he ci y a e ible place o li e o
h
ose
ap
ped
in he slu ns. No hing dis u bed he se lemen wo ke s mo e han
h
e
sig
h
o
li
le child en, unde sized and unde ed,
o
ced o wo k long hou s in ac o ies.
Th
e i s Ch is mas, he Hull-House esiden s we e sho
ck
ed
a
nd
su p ised when
he
y
Jane Addams
and
Ame ican U ban Re o m
33
ied o gi e candy o so ne
o
he neighbo hood child en only o ha e hem ejec
i .
Then hey disco e ed ha hese pa icula child en wo ked en hou s a day, six days a
week in a candy ac o y. The couldn' s and he sigh
o
candy.
The
Hull-House campaign
agains child labo began in o mally wi h a lec u e,
an
a icle
o a
discussionn poin ing
ou so ne
o
he ho o s
o
li le child en being exploi ed by indus y. The campaign
om he i s was led by Flo ence Kelley, who knew some hing abou child labo be o e
mo ing o Hull-House. She began o collec s a is ics and s o ies
in
he Hull-House
neighbo hood.
The
in es iga ion became o icial when Go e no John
P.
Al geld
appoin ed Kelley as a special in es iga o o he Illinois S a e Bu eau o Labo , assigned
o s udy child labo in he swea shops
o
Chicago. Fo he se lemen wo ke s, howe e ,
in es iga ion
was
me ely he p elude o e o m. A e p esen ing hei s a is ics o he
Illinois legisla u e, hey con e ed wi h a commi ee sen o Chicago o check on
condi ions, helped d a a bill o be in oduced in Sp ing ield, he s a e capi al and hen
lobbied o i s passage. Thei s a is ics and ene gy played a majo ole in he passage
o
he Illinois Fac o y Ac
o
1893, which p o ided o ac o y inspec ion and p ohibi ed
he employmen
o
child en unde ou een a nigh ,
o
o longe han eigh hou s
du ing he day. Two yea s la e he Illinois Sup eme Cou s uck down he law as
uncons i u ional.
The
se lemen wo ke s leamed he ha d way ha hey had o igh he
same ba le o e and o e again. E en ually hey mo ed beyond he s a e o he na ional
le e! and Flo ence Kelley, who became he di ec o
o
he Na ional Consume s' League
in
1899, con inued he igh o an amendmen o he cons i u ion. The amendmen
ne e passed, o abolishing child labo di ec ly con on ed so ne
o
he mos powe ul
indus ies in he coun y.
The igh agains child labo was no en i ely los o e en ually many
o
he
s a is ics and he ca e ully d awn maps
o
he Hull-House neighbo hood showing
occupa ion, e nici y, and age we e published in Hull-House
Maps
and Pape s ( 1895), a
pionee s udy ha s imula ed o he ca e ul u ban s udies and led e en ually o he
de elopmen
o
u ban sociology and a change
in
he laws. The Hull-House c usade
agains child labo also led o many o he e o m mo emen
s:
a emp s in imp o e
housing, o p ome e be e educa ion, he build pa ks and playg ounds,
e en o
p ome e
a sense
o
communi y and neighbo hood in he ci y.
A la ge amoun
o he
Hull-House e o m e o was di ec ed a he immig an s -
he I alians, G eek, I ish, Ge mans and Eas Eu opean Jews who li e nea he se lemen .
Bu , he Hull-House e o ms we e ne e only local. The se lemen wo ke s belie ed
ha wha hey Jeamed in hei neighbo hood could apply o he na ion. They o ganized
he Immig an P o ec i e League. They ied o ease he p ocess
o
Ame icaniza ion.
Jane Addams especially ied o p ome e he p ese a ion
o he
old e hnic ways, and o
ease he con lic be ween gene a ions. The se lemen wo ke s ied qui e consciously
o p ome e hei own middle-class alues. Fo example, hey ied o each he ecen
immig an s
how
o li e in unclu e
ed
ooms, and o sepa a e he unc ions
o
li ing
in o clea ly de ined spaces. Bu many
o
he ecen immig an s we e much mo e

34 A/len
F.
Da
is
com o able mixing sleeping, ea ing, and wo king in he same space.
To
li e nea
and
o de ed li es in o e c owded enemen s was o en impossible in any case.
Some imes
he se lemen wo ke s in hei eagnemess o wipe ou child labo did no a
pp
ecia
e
how much immig an amilies depended on he wages
o
he young. And,
in
hei
app ecia ion
o how
de as a ing alcoholism could be, hey ailed o unde s and
he
ole
ha bee and wine played in he social li e
o
immig an cul u es.
The Hull-House e o me s had less p ejudice and g ea e unde s anding
o
o he
e hnic g oups han mos
o
hei gene a ion, bu hey did no escape he acism
o
hei
ime. Hull-House was seg ega ed. A ican-Ame icans we e no welcome. The
excuse
was ha i blacks ca ne o he se lemen , hey would d i e
ou
he
o he g oups.
The e
we e ew blacks in he neighbo hood in he e a be o e Wo ld Wa I, and Jane
Addams
did help o ound a se lemen in a p edominan ly black a ea.
She
also was one
o
he
ounde s o he N.A.A.C.P.
anda
leade
in
he igh o ci il igh s o all. S ill
om
he
an age poin o 1996 i seems odd ha an ins i u ion ha p omo ed democ ay
wo
uld
es ic hei e o s o whi es only, bu he en i e p og essi e no emen , w
hich
he
Hull-House e onne s we e an impo an pa , s ood o p og ess o whi es only.
JaneAddams wo ked ha d o p omo e woman su age and women's igh s.
Bu
she also a gued ha women had ce ain adi ional oles, as ho nemake s, b eadgi e s,
and mo he s. She seems ou
o
s ep wi h mode o eminism, bu unlike so ne
o
he
o he
ad oca es
o
woman su age who belie ed ha immig an and poo women should
no
be gi en he o e, Jane Addams a gued ha hese women, mo e han he uppe class,
had he in elligence and he expe ience
o
use hei o e wisely. She a gued o wha
she
called «municipal housekeeping».
In
a u al socie y a wi e and mo he could p o
ide
pu e ood and milk o he amily by being a good housekeepe , bu
in
a u ban
age
a
women needed o ge in o poli ics o make su e ha he municipal wa e sys em,
he
ash collec ion, he ma ke inspec ions wo ked well enough o p e en disease
om
sp eading o he amily. By he same oken Jane Addams a gued ha i was necessa y o
pass s a e and ede al laws, o p omo e e o m on a na ional. e en on an in e na ional
le e!
in
o de o p omo e sa e neighbo hoods.
One can a gue,
as
se e al his o ians ha e, ha Jane Addams and he co-wo ke s
we e sen imen al and imp ac ical, ha hey we e mo e in e es ed in social con ol
ha
n
in social e onn.
I
is qui e possible o su ey he his o y
o
he pas 100 yea s and
o
conclude ha Hull-House and he en i e P og essi e-New Deal Socie y e o o sol e
he p oblems o u ban Ame ica ha e ailed. Chicago and o he Ame ican ci ies s ill
su e om a high a e
o
c ime, poo housing, inadequa e schools, and ec ea ional
a
cili ies, as well
as
acial and e hnic ensions ha ia e in o iolence and gang wa a e.
Ins i u ions Iike Hull-Hous
e,
he go emmen , and o he social agencies all seem
o
ha e ailed o sol
e
he p oble
ms
o
he uly disad an aged in Ame ica.
l he
s o y o Hull-House o e mo e han a hund ed yea
s
is he s o y
o
ailu e,
i
is
also he s o y
o
success. Man y
o
he poo did ind encou agemen a he se lemen
and we e able o mo e ou
o
he slums, and many o he p og ams ini ia ed a Hull-
Jane Addams
and
Ame ican U ban
Re
o
m
35
House helped
o
imp o e wo king and li ing condi ions in Chicago and in Ame ica.
Th
e ul ima e wo h
o
he se lemen and i s a emp s o
<leal
wi h he o e whelming
p oblems
o
he indus ial ci y canno be
mea
su ed in one neighbo hood
o
ci y, o he
Huul-House. In a new age
o
g eed he successes seem mo e impo an han he ailu es.
On
he occasion
o
Jan
eA
ddams' dea h
in
19
35, WilliamA!len Whi e,
h
e
edi o o The
Empo ia Gaze e, w o e: «She, mo e han any o he con empo a y Ame i
ca
n, ep esen ed
h ough he leade ship wha migh be called he al uis ic elemen
in
a ci i
li
za ion ha
is on he whole oo acquisi i e».
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