Jane addams biography

Jane Addams and Hull House were pioneers of social reform in the United States. Addams’ efforts, both through Hull House and independently, laid groundwork for women’s rights, children’s rights, workers’ rights, and education still felt today.

Jane Addams Biography

Born Sept.

6, 1860 in Cedarville, Ill., Jane Addams’ early life was one of privilege and education. The daughter of an affluent, influential family, she graduated Rockford Female Seminary in 1881 an exemplary student and leader.

A few years following graduation, Addams took an inspirational trip to England with close friend Ellen Gates Starr, which introduced her to the social philosophy of John Ruskin and to a London settlement house, Toynbee Hall.

Toynbee Hall served one of London’s poorest neighborhoods, offering recreation and educational programs. Her experience inspired her to open a settlement house in Chicago.

With Starr, Addams rented the Charles Hull mansion in an impoverished Chicago neighbor