Biography Sample on Jane Addams: Champion of Peace, Philanthropy, Work Ethic

Introduction

Jane Addams is associated with working on behalf of the oppressed and poor population in society. More concern relates to peace, and her efforts in peace building and Addams's works and works indicate her commitment and passion in the restoration of peace and the abolition of war. Her father influenced Jane Addams in the early years as he taught Jane on issues of tolerance, philanthropy, and work ethic. Addams greatly had a focus on finding enough information relating to people who were considered to be poor and find ways on how to address their needs.

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Impact on Social Work

Jane Addams was a pioneer mother of social work well known for humanitarian efforts in the United States of America and the first female to be a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Addams had a desire to change and improve people's overall lives, thus known for the establishment of the settlement house and Hull house. The established home played a significant role. It acted as an educational programming center, provided health services, libraries, and other vital resources to the underprivileged persons in the Chicago industrial districts. Hull House became essential as it acted as a symbol for the progressive movement and social reform. The house had to ensure that working-class individuals, especially immigrants, access social and educational opportunities.

The Hull House conducted classes on various topics like domestic activities, history, art, and current occurrences (Abbott, 2018). The house hosted children during the summer camp season. Addams considered the need towards policies and regulations that were the source of poverty hence became a political activist on behalf of the vulnerable in the community.

Being an advocate for laborers had a great impact on society as Jane actively participated in the Haymarket riots that focused on the laborers' worst working conditions. Also, Addams was an active member of advocating for women's rights and racial equality issues that made her labeled as a socialist and communist individual.

Social Justice

Jane Addams is recognized for introducing major tenets of social justice and reforms in the social work field. Jane is considered to have worked to implement changes in sanitation, child labor law, housing, and working conditions in the early years of her work. A greater impact is evident as she founded the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, which advocated social justice. With strong professional interventions and research Addams succeeded in the American social work which led to international interest .The Hull House received many visitors and many initiatives were launched there .Jane as well contributed to the peace building during the First World war

Social Policy

Jane advocated for social policy and led to the formation of the Center for Social Policy and Research. Their major goal entailed engagement in the University –Community partnerships that advanced knowledge in the field of social welfare policies, programs, and promoting racial, economic, and social justice. The institution would play a significant role in assessing the impacts of changes in any plans on vulnerable families, communities, and children.

Organizational Leadership and Change

Jane Addams earned a good name due to enacting change, which was not an easy task. Jane was always faced with opposition challenges from vast businesses and corrupt government institutions who happily exploited the poor individual for their gain (Addams, 2015). However, Jane struggled to bring change by connecting with the right individuals to expose corruption in business through journalism; hence a leadership role is evident that had a greater impact in the community. In 1915 Jane became the national chairman of the Women's Peace Party and headed the commission in ending the war. As a leader, Jane was considered to respect everyone's views and ideas, wise, strong, and always in the lead. Also, Addams was a major figure in international peace movements were she was a leading theoretician and brought an impact to the community by envisioning democracy, social justice. Jane Adams was a very influential leader who put other people first towards improving their lives hence bringing change in the city. Jane cared about women and their precious roles in the community and advocated for change.

Theory of Democracy and Social Ethics: Incorporating Feminist Perspective

Jane Addams shows an appreciation of theory through her work and writing in making various decisions and thus uses the lenses of feminism to theorize about Democracy and public administration. According to this view, federal Democracy entails the world of practice that is the training environment for administrative experts who direct a capitalist state. In contrast, the Addams democracy draws upon man and women to create communities that ensure necessary resources and opportunities for each person to realize their capacities and power by actively participating in a social, political, and cultural way of life. The key tenets of Addams's conceptualization of an existing ethical democracy are taken into consideration that is the role of various social claims, dignity, and idealized rule of life.

In Democracy and the Public service, Fredrick Mosher (2016 ) focus on multiple issues that tend to be predominant in political democracies like democratic control system, professionalism, expertise, responsive leadership, and representation. Various Ideas and experiences of women in public administration tend to inform and create the general theory in public administration. Hence Addams's perspective on Democracy creates such an opportunity. The approach draws ideas on life experiences, and Jane's thoughts grew due to her knowledge as a founder of settlement during a progressive period. The immigration and industrial revolution led to a shift of population to urban areas characterized by high levels of corruption and the emergence of a municipal reform that shaped the public administration. Jane had a belief that social ideals must be included in political programs as something that is the government business. Thus change should incorporate social expression to democracy issues. Jane Addams social ethic and Democracy focuses on the governance mechanisms as she emphasizes participatory Democracy, ethics, and collaboration.

The evolving social claim influenced Jane's decision to enter the settlement movement and establish the Hull House. It used her experiences at the Hull House and understanding of the concept of faith in Democracy to come up with social ethics that is the soul of social feminism perspective. Addams believed that women should extend their household virtues in incorporating various conditions of the streets, drinking water, food, and schools. The social claim asserted by the public of the responsiveness of human action, and Jane realized people has to suspend their belief systems and understand others' experiences and perspectives in society.

Adam's faith is an idealized democracy. She views human beings in various concrete situations that can work out social claims with the concept of sympathetic understanding in larger social ethics (Harris, 2011). An ethical, social democracy is applicable as it makes one understand other people's experiences and facilitates social change and meaningful communication through the theory that Jane Addams believed in the human solidarity that assumed certain life experiences to be shared by all human beings. If people could open up their different cultures, childhoods, and generations, they can find common ground. Solidarity should be extended everywhere, and therefore the government should incorporate cooperative alliance in all aspects of the society. It's through the theory that Addams and the Hull-House residents decided on propelling social legislation and civic initiatives focusing on children that had a determination of sympathetic understanding.

Jane Adams Qualities

Jane was well known for her openness, which is the first learning task any leader can possess. Most important, her inclination to learn elements and willingness to teach other people in society.

Changing Mind Quality

Adam was blessed with a gift of being able to always change her mind, unlike other leaders. Some leaders have a hard time changing their accounts due to the main reason for being focused on their various opinions (Downs, 2016). Adam had a quality of keening listening to other people's ideas and made matters better for other people through helping.

Hope Quality

Addams always had hope in every decision made. Addams knew that helping in the Hull House was coming from nothing but wanted to give out something that is hope. Jane always assured people that they were not alone in their conditions, and help could still be granted. Teamwork and family support and effort were essential as Addams knew she could not succeed alone without having hope.

Openness

Being a Hull house director based in Chicago, Jane was well known for her need to learn and the desire to profit from the teaching she received from other people in society. Addams always accepted her mistakes and adopted new views.

However, Addams faced challenges in her mission as criticism existed as people did not like the radical ideas and way of conducting things. Addams also faced opposition from the companies and government institutions that oppressed the vulnerable population in the society for their gain. Jane Addams infused care ethics as a means of confronting existing political, economic, and cultural issues.

Conclusion

Jane Addams was a famous social worker, activist, Nobel Prize winner, and founder of Hull House's first settlement house in the United States. Addams had a greater impact on social work, social policy, and social justice through the contributions she made by working tirelessly on behalf of the oppressed and poor people. The Hull house's establishment played a significant role through the provision of broad services and programs that benefited the neighborhood residents. Being passionate about the pursuit of justice left Addams's work legacy as she understood the fundamental causes and conditions upon which the poor lived and thus worked to address the issues. Jane Addams applied the theory of social Democracy in making rational decisions and given that she possessed qualities like openness and change of mind that facilitated the success of her work. . Like the case of Jane Addams, social workers should expose and try to challenge the oppressive and unjust systems in society, therefore, they should work to ensure the adequately advocate the issues and address them for the wellbeing of the vulnerable in the community.

References

Abbott, E. (2018). The Hull House of Jane Addams. Social Service Review, 26(3), 334-338. doi: 10.1086/638883

Addams, J. (2015). Ethical Survivals in Municipal Corruption. Ethics, 8(3), 273. doi: 10.1086/205607

Downs, G. (2016). Jane Addams: Spirit in Action. Peace & Change, 36(1), 128-133. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0130.2010.00679.x

Harris, D. (2011). Re-Defining Democracy: Jane Addams and the Hull-House Settlement. Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago, Illinois. Lisa Lee, director; Amy Reichert, exhibition designer. The Public Historian, 33(2), 171-174. doi: 10.1525/tph.2011.33.2.171

Jane Addams and Social Action. (2018). Social Work. doi: 10.1093/sw/5.4.62