The Woman Who Reformed the World

By: Anonymous

“Things that make us alike are finer and stronger than things that make us different” (Top 25 quotes from Jane Addams). That’s a quote from Jane Addams. Many people haven’t even heard of her, but she was a great example of a servant leader from the late 1900s. A servant leader is someone who leads by serving those around them. Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois into a wealthy family on September 6, 1860. She was a social reformer, pacifist, and supported women’s suffrage. Jane Addams was also the co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the second woman to ever receive one. In her life, she exemplified the virtues of empathy, awareness, and commitment to the growth of people, which makes her a perfect example of a servant leader.

Jane Addams was a proud pacifist, a prime example of her empathy for others. She believed that war was unnecessary and that disagreements should be worked out peacefully instead of with violence. She publicly opposed World War I, even though she was criticized for it. Jane Addams felt that innocent lives were being lost without reason, and things should have been sorted out peacefully, and diplomatically. She was also a figurehead for women’s suffrage efforts. She believed that women should have equal rights to men. She worked hard to stand up for what she thought was right. Both being a pacifist and supporter of women’s suffrage explain very well that Jane Addams was a very empathetic person, who cared about the people around her and wanted to make a difference and better the world.

Through her passion for human rights, she exhibited her awareness and commitment to the growth of people. She was a pacifist, supported women's rights, and opposed World War I. This clearly demonstrates her awareness because she recognized how poorly women were being treated and wanted to do something about it! She was aware of how unnecessary war can be and believed that issues between countries could be settled other ways. Addams also showed her commitment to the growth of people by persevering even after facing criticism. Her consistency in her morals, in the face of scrutiny, really showed who she was as a person. Jane Addams wasn’t going to change her mind just because people disagreed with her.

 Jane Addams led a life of a servant leader, and is a great role model for us. We can learn from her empathy and awareness towards others and her efforts to better the lives of people around her. In our own lives, we need to be aware of other people's struggles and be empathetic towards them because they could be struggling that we may never know. We can also draw lessons from her perseverance. There were many people who criticized her ideas and beliefs. She openly opposed violence, and supported social reforms. She faced major criticism for that, but Jane Addams persevered and kept on doing what she thought was right. In our lives, we can try our best to keep persevering, even against backlash and criticism. Overall she was a great woman, who can help us to be more like servant leaders if we follow her example.

Jane Addams was a social reformer, pacifist, and supported women’s suffrage, and was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.  In her life, she exemplified the virtues of empathy, awareness, and commitment to the growth of people, which makes her a perfect example of a servant leader. We can learn to be more like her by being more empathetic towards others, like our friends and peers, and be more aware of the people around us. Through her effort to better the lives of others, she can inspire us to help those around us.

Bibliography:

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https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1931/addams/biographical/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2022.

“Top 10 Facts about Jane Addams.” Discover Walks Blog, 28 Mar. 2022,

https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/united-states/top-10-facts-about-jane-addams/.

“TOP 25 QUOTES BY JANE ADDAMS (of 95).” A-Z Quotes,

https://www.azquotes.com/author/104-Jane_Addams. Accessed 7 Nov. 2022.

Nathan, Dorothy. Women of Courage. Landmark books, 1964. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.