Theodore Roosevelt and Jane Addams--A Brief Comparison

The Great Americans Class for the Spring Semester of 2010 will examine the lives of two of the most influential persons of the Progressive Era--Theodore Roosevelt and Jane Addams. These two were chosen because of the interesting way their lives intersect and diverge. They were also the most influential man and woman of this age, and I think that they way their lives intersect and diverge can tell us a lot about the lives of less prominent Americans of this era, as well.

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 27,1858, into a well-connected old New York "Knickerbocker" family. Roosevelt's father, a New York City banker, did not volunteer for the war of his generation--the American Civil War. Roosevelt's mother was a native of the South, and openly cheered for that region to prevail in the conflict. Although Roosevelt was less than three when the hostilities began, and less that seven when they ended, it is generally agreed by his biographers that this event helped shape Roosevelt to a large degree--and contributed to his attitudes on all things military, since he determined that if the chance arose in his life, he would not sit on the sidelines through a war that involved the United States.

Roosevelt was a sickly child, probably suffering from allergy-induced asthma in his early life. He spent much of this time traveling with his mother, who herself suffered from a number of debilitating nervous disorders that affected women of means during this time period. His own extended illnesses, coupled with Roosevelt's concern that his time with his mother was emasculating him, embraced the "vigorous life" of the outdoorsman that we associate with him today. Undoubtedly, Roosevelt's move away from the smog endemic in large cities improved his health; that he was able to also prove his masculinity in a variety of ways was just as important for his psychic health.

Jane Addams was also born into comfortable circumstances, although far less opulent than Roosevelt. Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois, on September 6, 1860. Her father was a prominent local businessman, and became one of the early bankers in nearby Freeport, Illinois. Addams' mother died in childbirth when she was only two years old; her older sister briefly served as woman of the house, but her father remarried within a couple of years of his first wife's death. Addams; life was dealt a severe blow, however, when here father died just after she graduated from the Rockford Seminary.

Addams had planned to enter Harvard after graduation, but her father's death altered those plans. Addams briefly went on a "grand tour" of Europe, but was stricken with a debilitating illness, including severe back pain, and returned to the United States for years of treatment. After her recovery, Addams went on a second grand tour, and on this trip she visited an early settlement house in England called Toynbee Hall. Upon her return to the United States, Addams, along with her friend Ellen Starr, founded the first settlement house in the United States, Hull House.

Roosevelt and Addams shared a number of concerns, but addressed these concerns in divergent ways. The "labor question," immigration, social welfare, and world peace are among the topics that we will explore through their lives. There was enough agreement between the two that Addams actually gave the nomination speech for Roosevelt at the Progressive Party convention in 1912. They diverged again when the United States entered the First World War. Both Addams and Roosevelt were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (Roosevelt in 1905, Addams in 1931). Much of their divergence, I argue, can be explained by their understanding of the role of gender in their lives--another important topic we will be discussing this semester.

This class will deepen our understanding of the Progressive Era, and its importance to the world we live in today. You will leave this class, I hope, with a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the problems faced by the world then emerging--and for the complexity of the problems we face today.