Jane Addams Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Jane Addams
c. 1926
Born	(1860-09-06)September 6, 1860 Cedarville, Illinois, U.S.
Died	May 21, 1935(1935-05-21) (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois, U.S
Education	Rockford Female Seminary
Occupation	Social Worker and political activist, author and lecturer, community organizer, public intellectual
Parent(s)	John H. Addams Sarah Weber (Addams)
Awards	Nobel Peace Prize (1931)
Signature

Jane Addams (born September 6, 1860 – died May 21, 1935) was an American social worker and activist. She was born in Cedarville, Illinois. In 1889, she helped start a special place called Hull House in Chicago. She did this with her friend, Ellen Gates Starr. Hull House helped many poor people and immigrant families in Chicago.

Jane Addams worked hard for peace and civil rights. She wanted more rights for immigrants and women. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. She was the first American woman to ever win this important award. She died in Chicago.

About Jane Addams
- Hull House: A Place to Help Others
- Working for Peace
Teaching and Public Speaking
Important Friendships
Later Life and Death
Her Legacy
Books by Jane Addams
Images for kids
See also

About Jane Addams

Jane Addams as a young woman

Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois. She was one of nine children in her family. Her father, John H. Addams, was a successful businessman and a state senator. Her mother was Sarah Weber.

When Jane was young, she had a problem with her back. She had surgery later, but it always affected her. Her father taught her to care about others and help people. He also encouraged her to get a good education. She studied in the United States and Europe. She graduated from the Rockford Female Seminary in Rockford, Illinois.

While visiting London, Jane Addams learned about the tough lives of poor people. She visited a place called Toynbee Hall. This was a "settlement house" in London. Settlement houses were places where people lived and helped the poor in their neighborhoods. This visit gave her an idea for what she could do in America.

Hull House: A Place to Help Others

Hull House, Chicago, Illinois

In 1889, Jane Addams and her friend, Ellen Gates Starr, opened Hull House in Chicago. It was one of the first settlement houses in the United States. Hull House became a very busy place. About two thousand people visited it every week.

Hull House offered many helpful things for the community. It had a night school for adults. There were also kindergarten classes and clubs for older children. It had a public kitchen, an art gallery, and a coffeehouse. There was also a gymnasium, a girls' club, and a swimming pool. People could learn book binding, music, and drama. Hull House also had a library.

Jane Addams is well-known for her adult night school. This was like the "continuing education" classes many community colleges offer today. Hull House also helped with jobs and offered art classes.

The people at Hull House started many important projects. These included the Immigrants' Protective League. They also helped create the Juvenile Protective Association. This group protects children from harm. They also helped start the first juvenile court in the United States. This court helps young people who get into trouble.

Working for Peace

Jane Addams (left) and Miss Elizabeth Burke, 1911

Jane Addams worked hard for peace. She helped start the Women's Peace Party. She also helped organize the International Congress of Women. These groups tried to stop World War I.

In 1919, she became the first president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. This group worked for peace around the world. She led this group until she died.

Teaching and Public Speaking

Jane Addams, 1906

Jane Addams gave many public talks across the country. She often spoke at colleges. She also taught classes for adults through the University of Chicago. However, she did not want to work directly for the university. She wanted to stay independent. This way, she could teach adults who were not in college. She also wanted to keep her freedom for her political work.

Jane Addams was part of the Chicago Board of Education. She also helped start the American Sociological Society in 1905. This group studies how people live in society. She was a very important woman in this group during her lifetime.

Important Friendships

Jane Addams had a close friendship with Ellen Starr. They met in college and later started Hull House together.

She also had a very close friendship with Mary Rozet Smith. Mary was a wealthy woman who supported Jane's work at Hull House. They lived together and shared a summer home. They were together for 40 years until Mary died in 1934.

Later Life and Death

Jane Addams Burial Site

Jane Addams had health problems throughout her life. In 1926, she had a heart attack. Her health got worse after that. She died on May 21, 1935, in Chicago. She was 74 years old. She is buried in her hometown of Cedarville, Illinois.

Her Legacy

Jane Addams was honored on a U.S. postage stamp in 1940.

Jane Addams was a member of the NAACP. This group works for equal rights for all people. She was also involved with the National American Woman Suffrage Association. This group worked for women's right to vote.

In 1901, she started the Juvenile Court Committee. This group later became the Juvenile Protective Association. It is a group in Chicago that helps protect children from abuse.

The Jane Addams Peace Association gives out the annual Jane Addams Children's Book Award. This award goes to children's books that teach about peace, fairness, and solving problems peacefully.

The Northwest Tollway in Illinois was renamed the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in her honor. There is also the Jane Addams Trail. This trail is for biking, hiking, and snowmobiling. It stretches for almost 13 miles in Illinois.