"Twenty Years at Hull-House"

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss and analyze the book "Twenty Years at Hull-House" by Jane Addams. Specifically, it discusses what her political argument is and how she goes about promoting it in the book. It looks at how Addams argues that it is the responsibility of the government to care and aid those in poverty and that regulating the workplace is one place to begin this aid. It also examines how Addams promotes the idea that everyone needs to respect each other and work together to solve society's toughest problems.

From the Paper:

"Part of her argument surrounds the inactivity of local and state governments to create decent living and working conditions for the nation's poor. She writes, "The policy of the public authorities of never taking an initiative, and always waiting to be urged to do their duty, is obviously fatal in a neighborhood where there is little initiative among the citizens" (83). The city has a moral obligation to create decent conditions for the city's poorest workers, but she notices that often they shirk their responsibility because the immigrant citizens do not know their rights or how to access them. She notes that many houses do not have sewers, there is little street lighting, the streets are dirty, and the schools are inadequate, among other things. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Addams, Jane Addams. Twenty Years at Hull-House. Victoria Bissell Brown, ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.

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