American pragmatism was developed in the 1870s by mathematician and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce and expanded on by other classic pragmatists including William James and John Dewey. This uniquely American branch of philosophy was built on the concept of the “pragmatist maxim”, which supported the idea of looking at the contents of a hypothesis or of any concept by first acknowledging its practical consequences and rejecting all unpractical solutions. It became a study of ethics through the scientific method. Dewey's conceived his philosophy as a means of social criticism and as “an instrument of social improvement" aimed at the development of democratic ideals and self-development. Pragmatism was not applied and was not able to reach …show more content…
Addams created the first American settlement house in the densely packed immigrant neighborhoods of Chicago-- an industrial city. Settlement workers in the House provided services for poor immigrants and sought to remedy poverty. Her humanitarian action was continuous process grounded in her own experience. The social settlement did not have preset guidelines or fixed rules, but was flexible in its policies throughout Addam’s discovery of new community issues. Addams’s social settlement was “to be a part of its own immediate community, to approach its conditions with no preconceptions [...] but to find out what the problems of this community” In order to take into account the convictions of many, Addams visited women in Toynbee Hall. Toynbee Hall, founded in 1883, was situated in one of the poorest urban neighborhoods of East London. Here, she came face-to-face with a solution to the growing problem back home. Addams also tried to actively understand particularities of poverty and social provision in Chicago, visiting the Clybourne Avenue mission and the Armour mission, among others, to see what kind of services they offered the poor. She then took time to devise a plan of action after considering the "careful survey" of all variables influencing the situation and the what effects would have practical bearings on her plan of action. This lead to a flexible approach in which the settlement houses were constantly adjusted and practical in both goals and purpose. The houses had no concrete end goal. For instance, if settlement workers noticed that children in the houses were becoming too lethargic compared with children of comparable ages in the suburbs, the pragmatic creators of the houses would see it as a consequence of living in the house and would, “They will deliberate, explore, observe, and experiment, in order to zero in on the cause or causes so that
The 1890s-1920s is what is referred to today as the Progressive Era. This was a time in which many people rose to push their beliefs and create a better future for America. These people called themselves progressives and they would make America the place we know today. They addressed important issues such as women’s rights, working conditions, and temperance. One such reformer was a woman named Mary Harris Jones. Mary Jones, later known as Mother Jones, was one of the most successful and effective progressive reformers of all time due to her experiences, work in labor agitation, and effective speeches.
Why does Jane Addams think women should have the right to vote? Please summarize her argument in your own words.
As usual, women and blacks were taken away the chance of change from their original state. Women continued to endure suffrage by being perceived as an inferior and being pressed with the challenges in the home and workplace. Similarly, blacks continue to be obscured of rights, being treated as a non-humans and given the worst possible situations in any job or social matter. However, Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House, always seemed to have an open door to those in need. She worked to solve problems and provide better living and working conditions and advocating for workers. She also helped immigrants, setting an example for all people, regardless of the places they go (Doc 3).
Jane Addams and the Progressive Movement. Works Cited Not Included Jane Addams is recognized as a social and political pioneer for women in America. In her biography, which later revealed her experiences in Hull House, she demonstrates her altruistic personality, which nurtured the poor and pushed for social reforms. Although many of Addams ideas were considered radical for her time, she provided women with a socially acceptable way to participate in both political and social change. She defied the prototypical middle class women by integrating the line that separated private and political life.
The progressive era was a time of enormous changes that flourished in the United States. Activists demanded a reform in education, technology, science, and Democracy. Purification of government was the main goal, and it was during this time that progressives made “scientific” the social sciences, especially history, economics and political sciences (http://www.iep.utm.edu). It was also during this era (1890’s-1920’s) that the Federal Reserve System was founded. The 16th through 19th amendments, the Food and Drug Act, and Federal Trade Commission were also put into play. It wasn’t until World War I that such drastic change started to slow. Amidst all this change existed an amazing woman by the name of Jane Addams; a political activist and pragmatist whom made enormous social and economic changes to the United States. It wasn’t until the late 20th century however that she was properly recognized as one of the most influential philosophers and sociologists of her time (http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu).
The Hull House was an important step for the many Chicago immigrants needing help. Although it started out as a nursery, the mothers of the children would sit in a room to sit and talk. The house later developed into a larger house of education. Here, you could take classes, do activities, and learn English. The mansion had many options for one person to keep busy with. Many immigrants brought their children to the Hull House, too. Here, the children were taken care of and also paid very close attention to. Adults also found a warm welcome in this mansion. There were clinics, exhibits, and different typos of classes being taken to further their education.
Jane Adams born in 1860 in cedar vill founded Hull house in 1889. Hull house was a welcoming non-profit organization for helping new immigrants adjusts to life in the United States. Hull hose was conceptualized around a similar organization called tonebthall. Toneybehall is a settlement house for men located in London where Adams in from. Hull house comprised of thirteen structures in the west side of Chicago. The 19th ward was the most diverse population of immigrants. The 19th had an estimated 50,000 residence. Residences of the 19th were also known as bohemians. English, Irish, Chinese, Arabs, Russians, Germans, polish and American compose the other 12 settlements in Chicago. Hull House offered many programs free/low cost to the surrounding community. They operated on of the first day care centers for working woman, a new concept at the time. The day care center was called a crèche located in a 2 story home and managed by Mrs. West. As the demands for child care grew the program expanded to meet the growing needs. Education is a fundamental princeable of hull house, the organization offered courses in English and history. Like the Starbucks of today the coffee house served as a place to meet and have conversation and a coffee house was constructed to meet those needs of the population. The Jane club was a shelter and
Whittlesey, Robert B. The South End Row House and its Rehabilitation for Low-Income Residents. Boston:
From the traditional masculine point of view, Manifest Destiny provided a strong argument for American imperialism. As “the great nation of futurity,” the United States for many imperialists had a fundamental duty to help heathen countries reach “the star-studded heavens,” and if expansionism also resulted in increased trade and market penetration, all the better. The bloody conflicts peppered throughout this path to heaven – the Spanish-American war, the Philippine-American war, the Boxer Rebellion – were but small hiccups to this fundamental goal, setbacks created by racial inferiors not yet aware of democracy’s beauty.
In Twenty Years at Hull-House, Jane Addams made the assertion that young people long to “socialize their democracy.” Throughout her autobiography she highlighted several reasons why socialization of American Democracy was necessary for the early twentieth century American cities; Among these reasons were the need for humanitarianism, unification, and justice. Although almost a hundred years have passed, I believe that American democracy today still shows evidence of similar needs for socializing and the young citizens of our country still exhibit the same longing to “socialize their democracy.”
Susan B. Anthony, a woman’s rights pioneer, once said, “Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women! There is so much yet to be done” (“Women’s Voices Magazine”). Women’s rights is a hot button issue in the United States today, and it has been debated for years. In the late 1800’s an individual named Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote literature to try and paint a picture in the audience’s mind that gender inferiority is both unjust and horrific. In her short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman makes the ultimate argument that women should not be seen as subordinate to men, but as equal.
Mary Wollstonecraft and Jane Addams were woman fighting for women’s rights, equality and equal education. Mary Wollstonecraft was “raised in the second half of the eighteenth century” (Gutek, 2013, pg 202). Mary was raised in a dysfunctional family, this was in results form an alcoholic father. “The effects of growing up in a violent household exerted a powerful formative influence in shaping Mary’s personality” (Gutek, 2013, pg. 204). She resented her older brother due to the fact he would inherit the families land all because he was male. “Mary learned to detest situations that seemed to resemble her childhood, in which she was powerless and controlled by a domineering person. Even though she
She helped turn the United States issues and concerns to mothers, such as the needs of children, public health, and world peace. Addams became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and is a founder of the social work profession. Many wealthy women became important long term donors to the house. Another thing Addams was well known for is co-founding the Hull-House, where new roles were developed for women such as social and educational opportunities. The Hull House was a center for research, empirical analysis, study, and debate, as well as a pragmatic center for living in and establishing good relations with the neighborhood. Residents of Hull-house conducted investigations on housing, midwifery, fatigue, tuberculosis, typhoid, garbage collection, cocaine, and truancy. Its facilities included a night school for adults, clubs for older children, a public kitchen and so on. Addams was born in 1860 so she was always around the fact of women not having rights, she had to fight for all women to have the equalities of men. After she completed that she decided to keep it going and help women in all sorts of
Charles S. Peirce was an American Philosopher, logician, mathematicians as well as a scientist. He was born in 1839 and died in 1914. Through-out his life, Peirce wrote a book about The Fixation of Belief in which he discusses his four methods of esatablishing beliefs. These methods can be tested with any subject matter by anybody and one shall always fit.
The communities were built with an abundance of houses that would allow families with all of the same interests to reside as one and work together as community. These communities would have community events to bring the community closer. The citizens of these communities were the typical American families with cars and children that lived in the house with the white picket fence. The citizens of the communities would compete to see who had the best decorated houses and win awards. It kept the community members involved in the community (Hales, Levittown: Documents of an Ideal American Suburb). This type of community helped camouflage the lives of