HR0788 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0788 LRB101 20917 ECR 70864 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Jane Addams was born in Cedarville on September 6, 1860; she became a leading, profound voice in civic responsibility, education, and legislation and a promoter of peace; and

WHEREAS, Jane Addams was valedictorian of Rockford Female Seminary in 1881 and received her bachelor's degree in 1882; and

WHEREAS, In 1889, along with Miss Ellen G. Starr, Jane Addams opened Hull House for the underprivileged in Chicago; Hull House hosted up to 2,000 people every week and produced numerous impactful programs within its walls, including an art gallery, employment bureau, a boarding club for girls, and other programs; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of Hull House was to provide a center for a higher civic and social life, to institute and maintain educational and philanthropic enterprises, and to investigate and improve the industrial districts of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Jane Addams created significant opportunities for immigrants, and, being an ardent feminist by philosophy, she encouraged women to work to obtain their right to vote; and

WHEREAS, In 1906, Jane Addams gave a course of lectures at the University of Wisconsin; the following year, she published these lectures under the title Newer Ideals of Peace; and

WHEREAS, Jane Addams was appointed to Chicago's Board of Education in 1905 and served as chairman of the School Management Committee; in 1908, she was one of the founders of the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy; and

WHEREAS, Jane Addams broke down barriers and persevered in the face of resistance; she established many milestones, including being the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Yale University in 1910, founding the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919, and her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931; and

WHEREAS, In the United States of America, Jane Addams worked to help the poor and to stop the use of children as industrial laborers; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Jane Addams's role as a philanthropist, humanitarian, sociologist and president of an international organization and honor her for her efforts to promote peace; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we acknowledge Jane Addams as a deserving daughter in the State of Illinois and therefore declare September 6, 2020 as the Jane Addams Day of Service.