Millions of individuals moved to the United States during the great wave of immigration that began in 1880. Life for recently arrived immigrants could be very hard. Most immigrants headed for the nation’s growing cities. Many could only afford to live in poor, dirty, crowded, disease-ridden, and crime-infested neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods were given notorious names, such as “Hell’s Kitchen” in New York City.

The plight of immigrants in the cities challenged many Americans. One response was the settlement house movement. Workers at settlement houses, many of them women, tried to help immigrants adapt to their new lives and gain entry to America’s middle class. The leader who pioneered this movement was Jane Addams.

Jane Addams was educated at a women’s college and also studied in Europe. While on a trip to London, she visited Toynbee Hall, a settlement house for the poor. There she saw young, upper-class students living next to the poorest citizens of the city. These young people wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, and they did. They provided shelter and promoted social reforms and better standards of living for all.

Addams and a friend, Elle Starr Gates, decided to start a settlement house in Chicago to serve that city’s poor immigrants. In 1889, after a period of fundraising, they opened Hull House in one of the city’s worst neighborhoods. Addams and her middle-class volunteers aided the local immigrant community, especially needy women and children. Eventually, Hull House became a model for more than 400 such houses around the country.

Addams and her co-workers assisted immigrants with many kinds of needs. In her book Twenty Years at Hull House, Addams recalled:

From the first it seemed understood that we were ready to perform the humblest neighborhood services. We were asked to wash the newborn babies, and to prepare the dead for burial, to nurse the sick, and to “mind the children....”

We were... impressed with the curious isolation of many of the immigrants; an Italian woman once expressed her pleasure in the red roses that she saw at one of our receptions.... [She was surprised that] they had been “brought so fresh all the way from Italy.” She would not believe for an instant that they had been grown in America.... Her conception of America had been the untidy street in which she lived and had made her long struggle to adapt herself to American ways.

The settlement house movement was important for many reasons. For example, it helped to foster a new attitude about poverty. Many Americans came to believe that the poor deserved assistance, not criticism for being poor. The movement also helped to expand the field of social work. In addition, settlement houses provided the inspiration for many social reforms. Addams led battles for garbage removal, improved street lighting, and better police protection. She fought to get kindergartens and children’s playgrounds established.

Workers in settlement houses participated in wider social reforms as well. Many became active in the women’s suffrage movement. Jane Addams was a model for these women. Among other achievements, she served as president of the International Congress of Women as well as the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom. She also wrote several books. In 1931, she was named co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a prestigious international award. Jane Addams truly made a difference.

Enrichment Activity

Answer these questions:

1.	Imagine you are an immigrant coming to America in the early 20th century. You’ve just left a settlement house after a three-month stay. What would you say in a thank-you note to the settlement house workers?
2.	How did settlement house workers like Jane Addams improve life in America?
3.	Why do you think Jane Addams and the settlement house movement are considered an important part of the story of America?