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JANE ADDAMS—A SOCIAL REFORMER History has long since been recording events that have shaped the society in which we live. However, most of these events have occurred at the hands of a male, and they have had a direct impact on our position as a world leader. Yet, if one looks hard enough and long enough, other important people and events stand out. Jane Addams, and her work for the betterment of all mankind, shines as an example of such a person who single handily impacted the world in which she lived. It is interesting then to look at the woman behind the history. Knowing about her life, her works, and her famous “firsts,” lets a student of history understand her position and its impact. Just seven months prior to the Civil war, Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois. The date was September 6, 1860. Her mother died when Jane was only two; Mary, her oldest sister, took over her care. Jane was born with a spinal problem unique to doctors of the time. “This problem caused Jane to walk pigeon--toed with her head tilted slightly to one side.”(Theme 1) Since children of this time were taught to walk with their toes turned out, Jane gave the grown-ups cause for worry. Jane did not stay motherless for long. Her father married the widow of William Haldeman. William had been her father, John Huy Addams’s, best friend. When her new mother arrived, she also brought her two boys. The oldest one, Harry, did not spend the time with Jane that George, the younger one, did. George was only a few months younger than Jane, and he proved to be a great companion to her. He had a great impact on her ideals of life. Jane, too, was apparently very close to her father. “John Huy Addams was a successful businessman and politician who tried to pass on to his daughter his ideals of hard work, achievement, democracy, and equality.”(Important 1) “Growing up a Quaker, she lived the traditional beliefs of hospitality. At night everyone’s bedroom door was closed and the hall would be dark. The front door of the house would be unlocked.” (Theme 1) These ideals, and close family/stepfamily relationship stayed with her throughout her college years at Rockford Female Seminary.
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