The Women of Hull House

The Women of Hull House

Author: Eleanor J. Stebner

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1997-01-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780791434871

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This group biography explores the lives, work, and personal relations of nine white, middle- and upper-middle-class women who were involved in the first decade of Chicago's premier social settlement. This "galaxy of stars"--as they were called in their own day--were active in innumerable political, social, and religious reform efforts. The Women of Hull House refutes the humanistic interpretation of the social settlement movement. Its spiritual base is highlighted as the author describes it as the practical/ethical side of the social gospel movement and as an attempt to transform late nineteenth-century evangelical and doctrinal Christian religion. While the women of Hull House differed from one another in their theological beliefs and were often critical of orthodox Christianity, they were motivated by Christian ideals. By showing the interconnections of spirituality, vocation, and friendship, the author argues that individual actions for social changes must take place within communities which provide a level of uniting vision yet allow for diverse actions and viewpoints.


Sounds of Reform

Sounds of Reform

Author: Derek Vaillant

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2004-07-21

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0807862428

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Between 1873 and 1935, reformers in Chicago used the power of music to unify the diverse peoples of the metropolis. These musical progressives emphasized the capacity of music to transcend differences among various groups. Sounds of Reform looks at the history of efforts to propagate this vision and the resulting encounters between activists and ethnic, immigrant, and working-class residents. Musical progressives sponsored free concerts and music lessons at neighborhood parks and settlement houses, organized music festivals and neighborhood dances, and used the radio waves as part of an unprecedented effort to advance civic engagement. European classical music, ragtime, jazz, and popular American song all figured into the musical progressives' mission. For residents with ideas about music as a tool of self-determination, musical progressivism could be problematic as well as empowering. The resulting struggles and negotiations between reformers and residents transformed the public culture of Chicago. Through his innovative examination of the role of music in the history of progressivism, Derek Vaillant offers a new perspective on the cultural politics of music and American society.


The Selected Papers of Jane Addams

The Selected Papers of Jane Addams

Author: Jane Addams

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 1063

ISBN-13: 0252099524

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In 1889 an unknown but determined Jane Addams arrived in the immigrant-burdened, politically corrupt, and environmentally challenged Chicago with a vision for achieving a more secure, satisfying, and hopeful life for all. Eleven years later, her “scheme,” as she called it, had become Hull-House and stood as the template for the creation of the American settlement house movement while Addams’s writings and speeches attracted a growing audience to her ideas and work. The third volume in this acclaimed series documents Addams’s creation of Hull-House and her rise to worldwide fame as the acknowledged female leader of progressive reform. It also provides evidence of her growing commitment to pacifism. Here we see Addams, a force of thought, action, and commitment, forming lasting relationships with her Hull-House neighbors and the Chicago community of civic, political, and social leaders, even as she matured as an organizer, leader, and fund-raiser, and as a sought-after speaker, and writer. The papers reveal her positions on reform challenges while illuminating her strategies, successes, and responses to failures. At the same time, the collection brings to light Addams’s private life. Letters and other documents trace how many of her Hull-House and reform alliances evolved into deep, lasting friendships and also explore the challenges she faced as her role in her own family life became more complex. Fully annotated and packed with illustrations, The Selected Papers of Jane Addams, Volume 3 is a portrait of a woman as she changed—and as she changed history.


No Ordinary Time

No Ordinary Time

Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 768

ISBN-13: 1476750572

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Examines the distinct leadership roles of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during the war years and discusses the dynamics of their marriage.