RCNJ Jane Addams Papers Project

10/08/2026

Excited to work with Ramapo students Maryellen Kane and Gianna Amato, and Prof. Rebecca Leung to bring one of Jane Addams's speechs to life.

10/06/2026

Learn more about Jane Addams and Chicago's efforts to create a city charter on this post by A More Just Chicago.

Jane Addams, a failed charter, and the debate over power that Chicago never finished.

10/01/2026

Great event last week with Linda Low, Max Hadler, Abigail Rojas, and Anjali Tallapraganda. Thanks to all who came and shared experiences!

09/18/2026

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Let’s Hear It for Chicago icon Jane Addams, who opens the pioneering Hull House on this Day in 1889! DJ Andy Chanley will make this the theme of Freeform At Four today, playing songs with “Jane” in the title. Suggest one here, then listen between the loooooong commercial-free XRT Xpresses for the Jane-fest.

09/18/2026

Stacy's ever-thoughtful essay on Jane Addams's dedication to the peace movement.

In April 1915 before leaving for The Hague to attend the peace meeting of the International Congress of Women, Jane Addams made a public statement about her mission: “We do not expect to end the war. We have not much hope that our meeting will have immediate effect upon the present situation, but ...

09/10/2026

We are excited to partner with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the School of Social Sciences and Social Work on a panel on activism on September 24th! If you are in the area, please come and participate!

09/03/2026

Ben Railton looks at the question of whether education should serve practical or philosophical goals, a topic still debated today!

Ben Railton highlights education reformers from the first half of the 20th century from whom we still have a great deal to learn in the 21st.

08/18/2026

Sometimes you run across a document that feels present. Ninety-one years ago Addams felt for youth in the midst of the Great Depression, and her advice holds today.

08/04/2026

Check out our latest blog, exploring Jane Addams's battle with ward boss Johnny Powers! Terrence J. McDonald digs into the familiar story to uncover new depths.

Terrence J. McDonald is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan. He is the author of Nearly Neighbors: Jane Addams, Johnny Powers, and the Progressive Political Imagination (2026), published by the University of Chicago Press. In early December 1893 Chicago’s Hull House had an...

07/23/2026

See Professor Sheryl Gordon's take on the question: Was Jane Addams an Imperialist?

Sheryl Gordon is an Assistant Professor in the History and Political Science Department at Molloy University on Long Island, NY. Her research has centered on peace history and international relations in the early twentieth century. She published “The Limits of Labels: Jane Addams and Her Views on ...