Jane Addams was a prominent social reformer, pacifist, and feminist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is best known as the founder of Hull House in Chicago, one of the first settlement houses in the United States.
Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860, in Cedarville, Illinois. She was the eighth of nine children born to a prominent family. Addams was well-educated and attended Rockford Female Seminary, where she was influenced by the school's commitment to social reform and women's education.
In 1889, Addams and her friend Ellen Gates Starr founded Hull House in a run-down neighborhood of Chicago. Hull House provided social and educational opportunities for working-class immigrants and became a center for social reform and community activism. Addams and her colleagues at Hull House worked to improve living and working conditions, provide education and cultural enrichment, and advocate for social and political change.
Addams was a leading figure in the Progressive Era and was involved in a wide range of social and political causes, including women's suffrage, child labor laws, and workers' rights. She was a vocal advocate for peace and was instrumental in the founding of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, the first American woman to receive this honor. She continued to be an influential voice for social justice and peace until her death on May 21, 1935.