Jane Addams : an alchemist synthesizing the identity of the immigrants in Hull House neighborhood, (1889-1930)

Abstract

The settlement house movement was an outcome of the necessity for social welfare reform at the local level during the Progressive era. Mostly college educated reformers, these innovative minds aimed at moving to the slums of the great cities, neighboring the lower strata of the society, and therefore providing them the opportunity for personal development through social and cultural programs they initiated. The scope of this thesis is confined to Hull House, founded in 1889, by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr in Chicago. The major concern of the thesis is narrowed down to a discussion on the nature of the relationship between Hull House and the immigrants in the neighborhood. Through such a thematic concentration, the thesis aims to explore the role of a settlement house in the incorporation of immigrants to the society