Jane Addams (1860-1935) lead the field of social work from her settlement house located in an immigrant community in Chicago, Illinois. She sought to solve the problems of industrial America through social reform. Her belief that a democratic society could only be possible when all members of the community were politically and economically empowered fueled her work at Hull House. The work she and others did to change their communities -- providing immigrants with language lessons, legal support, day care, and so forth -- helped to transform the relationship between government and citizens during the Progressive Era.
Addams concerns turned global during the First World War when she spoke vehemently against the war. This outspokenness lost her many supporters, but her pacifist beliefs could not be bent. She became the president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
