PRAISE FOR Lives of American Women “Finally! The majority of students—by which I mean women—will have the opportunity to read biographies of women from our nation’s past. (Men can read them too, of course!) The Lives of American Women series features an eclectic collection of books, readily accessible to students who will be able to see the contributions of women in many fields over the course of our history. Long overdue, these books will be a valuable resource for teach- ers, students, and the public at large.” —COKIE ROBERTS, author of Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty “Just what any professor wants: books that will intrigue, inform, and fas- cinate students! These short, readable biographies of American women— specifically designed for classroom use—give instructors an appealing new option to assign to their history students.” —MARY BETH NORTON, Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History, Cornell University “For educators keen to include women in the American story, but hampered by the lack of thoughtful, concise scholarship, here comes Lives of Ameri- can Women, embracing Abigail Adams’s counsel to John— ‘remember the ladies.’ And high time, too!” —LESLEY S. HERRMANN, Executive Director, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History “Students both in the general survey course and in specialized offerings like my course on U.S. women’s history can get a great understanding of an era from a short biography. Learning a lot about a single but complex character really helps to deepen appreciation of what women’s lives were like in the past.” —PATRICIA CLINE COHEN, University of California, Santa Barbara 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 1 1/31/17 8:52 AM “Biographies are, indeed, back. Not only will students read them, biogra- phies provide an easy way to demonstrate particularly important historical themes or ideas. Undergraduate readers will be challenged to think more deeply about what it means to be a woman, citizen, and political ac- tor. I am eager to use this in my undergraduate survey and specialty course.” —JENNIFER THIGPEN, Washington State University, Pullman “These books are, above all, fascinating stories that will engage and inspire readers. They offer a glimpse into the lives of key women in history who either defied tradition or who successfully maneuvered in a man’s world to make an impact. The stories of these vital contributors to American his- tory deliver just the right formula for instructors looking to provide a more complicated and nuanced view of history.” —ROSANNE LICHATIN, 2005 Gilder Lehrman Preserve American History Teacher of the Year “The Lives of American Women authors raise all of the big issues I want my classes to confront—and deftly fold their arguments into riveting narratives that maintain students’ excitement.” —WOODY HOLTON, author of Abigail Adams 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 2 1/31/17 8:52 AM Lives of American Women Carol Berkin, Series Editor Westview Press is pleased to launch Lives of American Women. Selected and edited by renowned women’s historian Carol Berkin, these brief, af- fordably priced biographies are designed for use in undergraduate courses. Rather than a comprehensive approach, each biography focuses instead on a particular aspect of a woman’s life that is emblematic of her time or made her a pivotal figure in the era. The emphasis is on a “good read,” featur- ing accessible writing and compelling narratives without sacrificing sound scholarship and academic integrity. Primary sources at the end of each bi- ography reveal the subject’s perspective in her own words. Study Questions and an Annotated Bibliography support the student reader. Dolley Madison: Margaret Sanger: Freedom, Controversy The Problem of National Unity and the Birth Control Movement by Catherine Allgor by Esther Katz Lillian Gilbreth: Barbara Egger Lennon: Teacher, Mother, Redefining Domesticity Activist by Tina Brakebill by Julie Des Jardins Anne Hutchinson: A Dissident Woman’s Alice Paul: Perfecting Equality for Boston by Vivian Bruce Conger Women by Christine Lunardini Angela Davis: Radical Icon Rebecca Dickinson: Independence by Robyn Spencer for a New England Woman Catharine Beecher: The Complexity by Marla Miller of Gender in 19th Century America Sarah Livingston Jay: Model Republican by Cindy Lobel Woman by Mary-Jo Kline Julia Lathrop: Social Service Betsy Mix Cowles: Champion of Equality and Progressive Government by Stacey Robertson by Miriam Cohen Sally Hemings: Given Her Time Mary Pickford: Hollywood and the New by Jon Kukla Woman by Kathleen A. Feeley Shirley Chisholm: Catalyst for Change Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: Modern by Barbara Winslow American Revolutionary by Lara Vapnek 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 3 1/31/17 8:52 AM 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 8 1/31/17 8:52 AM Julia Lathrop Social Service and Progressive Government MIRIAM COHEN Vassar College LIVES OF AMERICAN WOMEN Carol Berkin, Series Editor New York London 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 5 1/31/17 8:52 AM First published 2017 by Westview Press Published 2018 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2017 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Every effort has been made to secure required permissions for all text, images, maps, and other art reprinted in this volume. A CIP catalog record for the print version of this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 13: 978-0-8133-4803-2 (pbk) 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 6 1/31/17 8:52 AM This book is dedicated to my daughters, Julia Hanagan and Nora Hanagan. Their work on behalf of social justice inspires me every day. 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 7 1/31/17 8:52 AM 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 8 1/31/17 8:52 AM CONTENTS SERIES EDITOR’S FOREWORD xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii Introduction 1 1 Childhood and Education at Vassar: Old Traditions and New Paths 7 2 “J. Lathrop’s Here!” Single Womanhood and a New Life at Hull House 19 3 Social Research and Progressive Government 35 4 Juvenile Justice, Immigrant Aid 57 5 “Chief” 79 6 Saving Children, Helping Mothers 101 7 The Making of the Maternity and Infancy ct,A 1921 115 8 Retirement and Keeping On 123 Conclusion 143 PRIMARY SOURCES 149 STUDY QUESTIONS 165 NOTES 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY 179 INDEX 185 - ix - 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 9 1/31/17 8:52 AM 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 8 1/31/17 8:52 AM SERIES EDITOR’S FOREWORD Beginning in the 1890s a group of determined Americans began to search for solutions to the problems of their newly industrialized nation. Rather than give in to pessimism, they decided to face the issues raised by mass immigration, urban poverty, shocking labor conditions, and the dangers to consumers caused by unregulated industries. These women and men were true activists; they did not simply protest—they proposed programs and policies that would improve the conditions they found unacceptable. No one more fully embodied the spirit of these reformers during the Pro- gressive Era than Julia Lathrop. Lathrop devoted her life to child welfare, women’s rights, educational reform, the creation of a juvenile justice sys- tem, the professionalization of social work, and the rights of immigrants— and in the process she became the first woman appointed to the Illinois State Board of Charities and the first woman to head a federal agency. Small wonder that when she died in 1932 she was remembered as “one of the most useful women in the whole country.” In telling the story of Lathrop’s life and accomplishments, Miriam Cohen draws a vivid portrait of the Progressive Era and of the challenges female reformers faced as they entered the public sphere. Women like Lathrop, Jane Addams, Florence Kelley, and Lillian Wald were harshly crit- icized for undermining the traditional role of woman as wife and mother. To counter claims that they were “unwomanly,” these women developed the concept of “maternalist politics,” arguing that they were simply ful- filling their womanly duties in the larger arena of the community. But if maternalism allowed them to lobby for legislation, head up agencies, and expand women’s higher education, it also diminished their use of a claim to equality as an individual right for all. As Cohen notes, today’s American women would reject Lathrop’s reliance on traditional gender roles to justify voting rights for women. - xi - 9780813348032-cohen-corxx3.indd 11 1/31/17 8:52 AM - xii - Series Editor’s Foreword One of the many strengths of Cohen’s book is that she resists any temptation to idealize Lathrop or the progressive women who were her allies. Although she clearly admires Julia Lathrop, she acknowledges that women reformers of the era shared with other privileged white women an often unthinking but damaging racism and social elitism. This can be seen, Cohen points out, in the suffragist argument that giving the vote to edu- cated, native-born women would counterbalance the right to vote given to immigrant men. In this carefully researched and gracefully written book Cohen has drawn a rich and complex portrait of a remarkable American woman. In the process she has provided a fresh look at the critical role that women like Julia Lathrop played in an era of progressive reform.