How Did Jane Addams Promote Civil Rights

Civil rights demonstrates that all people, no matter what race, religion, color or class, are equal and have equal rights. Although the civil rights time period is a subject that is not talked about much today, it was years ago when there was a lot of segregation and discrimination. There were many African Americans who made a difference in their fight for civil rights, but not many white people tried to make that same difference. Jane Addams was one of the few white people who made this effort; she had an even bigger impact on civil rights since she was female and wealthy, along with her skin color.

Jane Addams got involved in promoting civil rights because she grew up around many sophisticated adults that also supported it. In fact,

For example, she had a negative effect on some people’s opinion because she wasn’t taken seriously about civil rights since she was a women. As a result, people took whatever was opposite of her advice and since she was a supporter of civil rights, that meant others being against it. Some people who were also for civil rights thought that some of Addams speeches sounded racist even though she claimed herself not racist. Although Addams did not have a positive effect on some, others did listen to her and thought she was very persuasive. She told people that racism led to unfortunate outcomes for society and this is the reason Americans needed to make a social change or else it would affect everyone. In addition, Addams also told people that lynching was becoming a bigger problem in America and that it needed to come to an end. Many listened to her on this subject because she had been “partners” with Ida. B. Wells to make a difference, “A community has a right to protect itself from the criminal…” (Public Pragmatism: Jane Addams and Ida B. Wells on Lynching). This quote from an article was trying to tell people that all Americans, should be able to live life without being afraid someone was going to kill them at any point in time. Wells was an African American woman who wrote about lynching and why it should come to an end. Finally, Addams

Addams’ is mainly known for her Chicago Hull House (settlement home) which was open to all people. She got the idea to start a settlement house when she went to England with her friend, Ellen Gates Starr, and they saw the Toynbee Hall settlement Home and what they did for people who weren’t as fortunate. The Hull House provided education, shelter, food, fun, clothing, physical aid and more. Along with the Hull House, she was also very well known for her involvement in women’s suffrage. Addams was a very big feminist and wrote many books, said many speeches and led many strikes so women would be equal as men, “‘I do not believe that women are better than men. We have not wrecked, nor corrupted legislature, nor done many unholy things that men have done; but then we must remember that we have not had the chance.’- Jane Addams.” (weebly.com). This quote showed how much she believed in equality for all, even for the smallest things. Addams also fought for the improvement of education and so everyone could get free education. She was even on the Chicago Board of Education to help her make this difference for America. Furthermore, Addams was involved in world peace and an anti-war activist group. She thought violence was never the answer since