Twenty Years at Hull House (Illustrated) - Softcover

Addams, Jane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1543100716 ISBN 13: 9781543100716

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017

Synopsis

Twenty Years at Hull House, the acclaimed memoir of social reformer Jane Addams, is presented here complete with all sixty-three of the original illustrations and the biographical notes.

A landmark autobiography in terms of opening the eyes of Americans to the plight of the industrial revolution, Twenty Years at Hull House has been applauded for its unflinching descriptions of the poverty and degradation of the era. Jane Addams also details the grave ill-health she suffered during and after her childhood, giving the reader insight into the adversity which she would re-purpose into a drive to alleviate the suffering of others.

The process by which Addams founded Hull House in Chicago is detailed; the sheer scale and severity of the poverty in the city she and others witnessed, the search for the perfect location, and the numerous difficulties she and her fellow activists encountered while establishing and maintaining the house are detailed.

Eventually, after years of work, Hull House became a shining example of how intervention in the poorest slums could have remarkable results for the families concerned. Children who regularly attended Hull House enjoyed education and opportunities for creativity. Many went on to experience a prosperous adulthood thanks to the skills and tutoring they gained at the house.

Today, Jane Addams is held as a great example of a pioneering spirit, whose social work and social assistance were greatly inspiring to the reforming administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The model Addams established with Hull House was imitated widely; by 1922, over five-hundred settlement houses had been founded across the United States.

About this title

About the Author

In 1889 Jane Addams and friend, Ellen Gates Starr, co-founded Hull House in Chicago, Illinois, the first settlement house in the United States. The house was named after Charles Hull, who built the building in 1856. When starting out, all of the funding for the Hull House came from the $50,000 estate she inherited after her father died. Later, the Hull House was sponsored by Helen Culver, the wealthy real estate agent who had initially leased the house to the women. Jane and Ellen were the first two occupants of the house, which would later be the residence of about 25 women. At its height, Hull House was visited each week by around 2000 people. Its facilities included a night school for adults, kindergarten classes, clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery, a coffeehouse, a gymnasium, a girls club, bathhouse, a book bindery, a music school, a drama group, a library, and labor-related divisions. Her adult night school was a forerunner of the continuing education classes offered by many universities today. In addition to making available services and cultural opportunities for the largely immigrant population of the neighborhood, Hull House afforded an opportunity for young social workers to acquire training. Eventually, the Hull House became a 13-building settlement, which included a playground and a summer camp.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1543100716
• ISBN 13: 9781543100716
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 207