Making a difference: Jane Addams

Nobel

Biography

Hull House

Books

Jane Addams

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

In 1931, at the age of 71, Jane Addams became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. It was awarded for her social commitment.

Jane Addams was born in Ilinois (The USA) in 1860. She was a social worker, pacifist, writer and sociologist. When she was a child she had a dream: to do something valuable in the world. She is probably best known as a co-founder of Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settlements in North America.

Jane Addams:

Addams died in 1935 in Ilinois (The USA) because she had cancer.

• Twenty Years at Hull House (1910)
• Democracy and Social Ethics (1902)
• The Spirit of Youth and City Streets (1909)
• Why Women Should Vote (1910)

Her most famous books are:

In 1887 Jane read an article about creating a social settlement. So she decided to visit the first settlement in the world, which was in London.In 1989, she co-founded Hull House with her friend Ellen Gates Starr. It was the first social settlement in the United States. It was also a centre where poor people received training and social benefits. Furthermore, it was used as a sociological institution for women.

Hull House