Question

1. In Twenty Years at Hull House, how does Jane Addams introduce and develop the idea that child labor was a serious and deadly problem in the early twentieth century? What connection is made between these ideas and Addams’s decision to investigate child labor in Chicago? Use evidence from the text to support your response. Your response should be at least two complete paragraphs.

Answer 1

In "Twenty Years at Hull House," Addams describes her experiences in life that led her to the establishment of "Hull House." In this text, she highlights the many social problems that existed during this time period, and discusses the ways in which she was able to tackle them and reduce them.

An example of this is child labor. Addams tells us that child labor was a serious and deadly problem in the early twentieth century. As evidence, she describes the way factories operated, the bad conditions that children encountered here, and the way poverty forced families to rely on the income that their children could earn. These factors all contributed to Addams's decision to investigate child labor in Chicago, and to the eventual establishment of Hull House.