The Establishment of Feminism in the USA - Research Paper Example

Jane Addams Contribution to the Establishment of Feminism in the USA (5th November, INTRODUCTION: Jane Addams, a well recognized among the notable sociologists of history, was a “feminist pragmatist”. Born on 6th September, 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois, she was the eight of nine children. Her father, John Addams, was a prosperous man, a miller and state senator (Scott, 2007). She had “great veneration and pride” for her father and was greatly influenced by him. His father served for sixteen years as a senator and fought in civil war as a officer. She admired him and felt that all the “strangers were filled with admiration for this dignified person” yet was somewhat depressed about her deformity and wished people may not know that this “pigeon-toed little girl” with a “crocked back” was this man’s daughter. Her greatest joy was her father’s company. She was quite attached to her father and always confided her “sins and perplexities” to her father. Her future is mainly the outcome of her father’s brought up. She was aware of the status difference among people since her childhood and often pondered on this fact. She narrates one instance in her book, Twenty Years at Hull House when she wore a really pretty and expensive cloak and asked her father for admiration. Her father advised her to instead wear an old cloak which will keep her warm and the other girls will not feel bad as well. Jane took her father’s advise but “quite without the joy of self-sacrifice” at that time. Yet it made her think about the inequalities of life (Addams, 1910). Jane Addams Contribution to the Establishment of Feminism in the USA Jane Addams went to Rockford Female Seminary, and graduated in 1881, but was awarded the degree after the school was upgraded to Rockford College for women. She then pursued the study of medicine but had to leave it in the middle due to health issues. Jane had a different thought structure from her fellow girls since the beginning. She didn’t believe in women’s only defined role to a household. She was of the view that women should be properly educated and then utilizes this education in a proper way instead of just preparing and serving meals to the family and should not be confined to household chores only. Ever since her childhood she knew she was born to make a difference (Nevenic, 2004). She recalls a dream that occurred often in her book, Twenty Years at hull house, that “everyone in the world was dead excepting myself, and that upon me rested the responsibility of making a wagon wheel….I always stood in the same spot in the blacksmith shop, darkly pondering as to how to begin, and never once did I know how, although I fully realized that the affairs of the world could not be resumed until at least one wheel should be made and something started”. Believing that the dream is true, Jane would often go the blacksmith shop in the village and concentrated on the procedures required, trying to remember every detail. This dream of her actually came true in the form of “Hull House” (Romain, 2004). After her completion of graduation she underwent quite a difficult period in her life. At the end of this confused and undecided course of her life which included her father’s death she eventually found the meaning of her life in Europe. During this second tour in Europe, Jane and her school friend Ellen G. Starr visited Toynbee Hall in London’s East End. Toynbee Hall was a means for serving the exploited lot of London and provided them with necessary platform for the people and their talents. This visit proved to be a turning point in Jane Addams life and became her inspiration for her own social settlement, which she co-found with her friend Starr in Chicago in 1889 called Hull House. The main idea behind the Hull house was to “aid in the solutions of life in a great city, to help our neighbors build responsible, self-sufficient lives for themselves and their families” (Jane Addams Hull House Association). The settlement was established in house built by Charles J. Hull. Jane and Ellen leased this house situated at the corner of Halsted and Polk streets. Their main aim was to stay among the bewildered and feel their exact limitations and problems. Jane and Ellen both lived in the Hull House and provided assistance to the needy. They regarded everyone with equality. They provided unbiased help to every extended hand without considering the religion, status, gender or age. Jane Adams knew very well the problems poverty and lack of necessities of life and opportunity arises. She was of the view that not character flaw but the hindrance in the way of acquiring birth rights like food, education, proper means to earn, poor medical facilities leads to the majority of societal crimes and desperation. She knew the problems and addressed the problems accordingly by providing a platform for the help who need help as well as who are willing to help. Jane Addams Hull House provides children welfare, education, senior, housing, homeless, youth, and small business development services as well as deals with the issues like domestic violence and child abuse. Hull house also helps people to equip themselves for small businesses by providing free classes and seminars on the related topics. They teach people the practical knowledge that they can apply in real lives and provide for themselves as well as for their families respectably. Hull house provided the facilities which were introduced for the first time ever and became a trend setter. The facilities include kindergarten, swimming pool, gymnasium, music school, public kitchen, coffee house, circulating library, drama group, employment bureau, labor museum etc. (Nevenic, 2004) Women’s right, particularly legal rights, immigrants and minorities being exploited are the main issues that Jane Addams advocated among many such issues and problems. She believed that that the traditional education that is imparted to the students in schools and colleges is not practical especially for women. After finishing school or college people have no clue as to what to do with their knowledge. She also did a great work in political causes and issues, delivering speeches on the public level for the purpose. She was a strong advocate of equality and justice among societies for every individual. She was of the view that every individual has a right to proper education and employment along with basic necessities of life. She believed that if provided with the suitable means and environment, every individual can and has the ability to bring out his/her true talents and accomplishments. In 1905, Jane Addams was appointed a place in Chicago’s Board Of Education and eventually became the chairman of the School Management Committee. In 1908, she was among the founders of the Chicago school of Civics and Philanthropy. In 1909, she became the first woman president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections. In 1910, she received the first ever honorary degree awarded to a woman by Yale University. She became chairman of women’s peace Party and after four months she accepted presidency of the International Congress of Women. Later on, this congress founded the organization; the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Jane Addams remained president of it till 1929 and remained as honorary president for the rest of her life. (Nobelprize) She delivered speeches on the issues as to why women should vote, explaining that in order to perform the regular role or criteria set for a woman, it is necessary to provide her with the requirements like pure environment for children at school and at home and other such necessities. And when she is not provided, she ultimately has to make the decisions on public and governmental level. Every detail of her household obligations is related to the city government such as sanitation, to the very basic issues as fresh food, fireproof stairways, dry basement etc. Along with these, the education they impart to her children in school as well as the after school activities these are all her concerns. In order to make things right from the basics women have to cast vote and take a part in this crucial decision. She believed that “American woman need this implement in order to preserve the home”. (Addams, 1915) Jane Addams social works that made her work towards the solutions of the problems include compulsory education, passing a factory inspection law, establishing a juvenile court, lobbying for workman’s compensation, prohibition, laws forbidding children under the age of 14 to work and women’s right to vote. In 1911, six boys murdered a man brutally and four of them got the court order to be hanged. They were brought up in the miserable conditions of poverty and their parents said they don’t care about their children’s future. About this whole situation, Jane Addams wrote that it was a unjustified decision. The minds of these young boys have only witnessed the harshness and cruelness of the world around and with this decision they have not been given anything different other than harsh and cruel world realities. (Romain, 2004) CONCLUSION: She remained true to her beliefs throughout her 46 years of her life and lived advocating those beliefs. For her peace efforts throughout the world, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 which she was not able to receive herself due to her illness. She died of cancer on May 21, 1935. She was undoubtedly; as President Franklin Roosevelt once called her “Chicago’s most useful citizen”. (Romain, 2004) References: 1. Addams, Jane. Twenty years at Hull-House, with autobiographical notes. New York, Macmillan, 1910. Print 2. Scott, John. Fifty key sociologists: the formative theorists. London: Routledge, 2007. Print 3. Jane Addams Hull House Association. http://www.hullhouse.org/aboutus/history.html 4. Nevenic, Anna. Out of the Shadows: American Women Who Changed the World. Palm Springs California: Rave Publishing, 2004. Print 5. Romain, Lisa Bellecci-st. Her Story: Worth Repeating. The American Feminist: Feminists for life of America. Vol: 11, No. 2-3, Summer/Fall 2004. Retrieved from http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/2004/summer-fall/Summer-Fall04.pdf 6. Biography. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1931/addams-bio.html# 7. Addams, Jane. Why women should Vote. 1915. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1915janeadams-vote.html Read More