Sisters Who Changed America: Edith and Grace Abbott

Abstract

This work follows Edith and Grace Abbott’s journey from little girls on the Nebraska frontier in the late 1800’s to social justice pioneers on the national stage decades later. Edith and Grace listened to their pioneer parents’ tales of blizzards, droughts, epidemics, and storms and learned that survival took what Edith called “rugged co-operation.” Edith and Grace decided to be pioneers who could overcome such disasters, but challenges of a different kind lie in their future. Both women lived at Hull-House in the early 1900s and contributed to a wide range of social reform efforts, including women's suffrage, the labor movement, and restricting child labor. Edith earned a Ph.D. in economics in 1905 and pioneered in academic leadership, becoming the first female dean of a major graduate program. She helped create the profession of social work and the foundations for the nation's public assistance program. Grace rose the the highest position in the federal government held by woman, Chief of the Children's Bureau. She helped establish the first nationwide public health program and played a critical role in crafting the Social Security Act.