The Squalor of Industrial Shanty Towns

Living Conditions of Progressive Era Laborers

Some forward-thinking progressives participated in the political system to establish improved conditions for labor, while others mobilized to bring social reform directly where it was needed, the impoverished urban neighborhoods of industrial workers.  One progressive who stood out during this period was Jane Addams.  

Addams was increasingly frustrated with the inaction of Chicago political bosses who chose to ignore the appalling living and working conditions of factory workers.  While she remained persistent with political activism, Addams sought to enlist like-minded private citizens to promote social welfare for the poor through Settlement Houses, which were large buildings where progressive volunteers established settlements in the midst of poor urban neighborhoods to offer aid to economically disadvantaged families.  

Settlement Houses became havens for people who were willing to perform work but were unable to find jobs because of the factory system's manipulation of labor.  The unemployed or poor worker relied on progressive social welfare programs such as the Settlement House to learn adaptive methods of survival in the changing landscape of an industrialized economy that had suffered multiple depressive slumps during the late 19th century.  Addams fervently believed gainful employment was “a great source of moral and physical health” for the individual, and was essential for the well-being of society as a whole.  Through grass-roots efforts Settlement Houses became a social safety net for countless impoverished laborers and their families.  

As with William Graham Sumner's call for social reform a decade earlier, Addams enthusiastically encouraged educated young people and wealthy individuals to “devote themselves to the duties of good citizenship by “arousing the social energies" of the working poor through informative civic education so they could understand and participate in the electoral system.  Like Sumner, Addams believed all citizens had a moral social duty to improve the conditions of disaffected laborers, and thought their work could help raise the disadvantaged out of poverty. 

Hull House, Est. 1889

              Addams founded Chicago's Hull House in 1889, which became a large hub that propelled social reform into action. Soon after Hull House opened the concept of Settlement Houses took hold in other industrialized cities.  Settlement Houses encouraged civic awareness, promoted education and childcare, vocational training and networking, and instilled a glimmer of hope to the masses of impoverished laborers around the country.

Works Cited

Johnson, Michael P. Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents. 5th ed. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Document 21-1 Jane Addams on Settlement Houses. Pgs. 101-104. Print.

"MindTap - Cengage Learning." New Industrial Order 15.9 Study Guide. Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/index.html?nbId=107659&nbNodeId=27378118#!&parentId=27378360>.