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Jane Addams

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Jane and I grew up in grade school together. She was in the class ahead of me, but her and I were still friends. My father was into politics and involved himself in whatever he could with Jane's dad. Since our fathers were away quite often, we would spend a lot of time together. Since Jane didn't have a mother, my mother would often include Jane in whatever my sisters and I were doing. We would have great talks together talking about what we wanted to do when we grew up. Even though neither one of us knew what we wanted to do, Jane was someone that always had the biggest heart for helping people. She was always talking about the stories her father told her about President Lincoln, and even though she didn't know how, she knew she wanted to be someone to make change like he did. …show more content…

We both graduated in 1881. Oh! How excited we both were! Jane still hadn't completely decided what she wanted to do yet, but the future seemed so exciting! Unfortunately, that excitement didn't last long. Her father died later that year and that sent Jane into a rough time. "Addams spent the next few years ill and unsure of what to do with her life. She spent a short time at the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia before traveling to Europe and Baltimore for the next four years. At the end of this time, she still hadn’t found a position for herself."

I tried to still stay in touch, but being around Jane seemed to be too difficult for her. She needed some time to get away from all the memories, so her and her college roommate went to London. "Along with her former college roommate, Ellen Gates Starr, Addams visited Toynbee Hall." In 1887, Jane's life found purpose. After visiting Toynbee Hall, Jane realized what she wanted to do, and it was going to be done back in her home

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