Addams Jane

Jane Addams lived during a period of profound social, economic, and political change in the United States. When she was born, the country was on the eve of the Civil War, which broke out in 1861 and radically transformed American society. After the war, the United States experienced rapid industrialization, and its cities expanded at an unprecedented pace. Millions of immigrants arrived from Europe in search of work and a better life, but many faced poverty, low wages, difficult working conditions, and poor housing. Chicago, where Addams carried out most of her work, became one of the country’s major industrial and immigrant centers.

Against this background, the Progressive Movement emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, seeking social reforms and better living conditions for workers, children, women, and immigrants. Addams became one of the leading figures in these efforts.