Jane Addams, Founder of Hull House


When Jane Addams was a little girl growing up in Cederville Illinois, she led a very privliged life. She lived with her father, stepmother and brothers and sisters. Her house was the biggest in her small town, but she never thought of herself as rich. Her mother died when she was only two years old, but she loved her stepmother, Anna Hadleman Addams, like a mother.

When Jane was 17, she had just finished high school, and she wanted to go to college. But there was a problem. Most colleges only admitted men. There were some schools for women, but not many. Most women didn't go to college in those days. Jane's father did want her to go, but he wanted her to attend Rockford Seminary. Jane wanted to go to Smith College, it was one of the best schools for women. If she went to Rockford she wouldn't get a degree, just a certificate. She wanted to make her father happy, so she agreed to go to Rockford.

At Rockford, Jane was very popular. She had many friends, and was always out on the town. She was on the debating team, she was editor of the college magazine, and president of the literary society. She was also president of her class. One young man at the nearby Beloit College wanted Jane to be his wife. But, when George Hadleman asked her to marry him, she turned him down. She wasn't ready to settle down.

In 1881 Jane graduated at the top of her class. In late summer, right after a vacation with her mother, her father, Jon Addams died of appendicitis. Soon after his death, Jane enroled in Medical School. She had decided to be a doctor years ago, but only now was able to. Jane got good grades, but her curved back was hurting agin. After a while, she wasn't sure she really wanted to be a docter. She never went back to med school.

After leaving school, Jane went to Europe with her step mother. When she came back, she started spending lots of her time working with orphans and poor people who lived in her city. Four years later, when Jane was 27, she took another trip to Europe, this time with a group of friends.

When Jane returned from her trip, she decided that she wanted to help people. While overseas, she met a group of people who were runing a small settlement house. This house had places for poor people to stay, to get a meal, and groups for them to join. Jane knew Chicago was the perfect place for an American settlement house. She soon located a large house owned by Charles Hull. This was the start of the Hull House.

In the years that followed, Jane's "Hull House" as she called it, helped thousands of people. She started the first boy scouts troup, she helped build the first play ground, and she lobbied for Chicago's first public pool. She wrote two books, "The First 20 Years at Hull House", and "The Second 20 Years at Hull House." She later won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work. She died soon after reciving her Peace Prize.


To read a fictionial story about Jane Addams, click here.

Programmed by Sara Cowling, Roosevelt Middle School, Eugene, Oregon: May 1997