As a young woman, Kelley witnessed the "social and religious tensions of the abolishment movement, the agonies of the war between states, [and] the passionate challenge end slavery" (Perkins, 12). During the twentieth century, American culture shaped her craving for justice.
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What is Florence Kelley best known for?
Florence Kelley, in full Florence Molthrop Kelley (born Sept. 12, 1859, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died Feb. 17, 1932, Philadelphia), social reformer who contributed to the development of state and federal labour and social welfare legislation in the United States. Kelley graduated from Cornell University in 1882.
What did Florence Kelley do to end sweatshops?
Florence Moltrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was a social and political reformer and the pioneer of the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rights is widely regarded today.
Where did Florence Kelley go to college?
Born on September 12, 1859 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Florence Kelley was pushed into social activism as a child. Her parents, both abolitionists, supported Kelley’s early interest in education and women’s rights. At 16 she entered Cornell University. After she graduated, she moved to Europe to study at the University of Zurich.
What did Harriet Kelley do to change the world?
In 1895, Kelley graduated with a law degree from Northwestern University. In 1899, she moved to New York City and became the head of the National Consumers League (NCL). At the NCL Kelley worked to shorten work days and pay workers more money. Kelley’s work helped create 10-hour workdays and some state minimum wage laws.
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What did Florence Kelley fight against?
Florence Kelley dedicated her life to social reform. She worked to end many social problems, including labor and racial discrimination. She influenced many social movements in the United States. Born on September 12, 1859 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Florence Kelley was pushed into social activism as a child.
What was the impact of Florence Kelley?
Kelley led campaigns that reshaped the conditions under which goods were produced in the United States. Among her accomplishments were the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and laws regulating hours and establishing minimum wages.
What was Florence Kelley childhood like?
Florence Kelley was educated at home for much of her childhood, both because the family lived in what was then far away, four miles, from the center of Philadelphia and because she was often sickly as a child. Occasionally she attended a Friends School, but then 'ended in bed and a winter of rheumatism.
Who was Florence Kelley and how did she contribute to progressivism?
Florence Kelley was a social reformer active during the American Progressive Era (1890-the 1920s). She advocated for social welfare reform and eliminating child labor across the United States. Her career took her to cities such as Zurich, Chicago, and New York.
What rhetorical strategies does Florence Kelley use in her speech?
In Florence Kelley's speech, she laments the injustices of child labor in the United States. She uses logos, or logical appeal, and pathos, or appeal to the audience's emotions, in order to convince them of her point of view and make a strong argument.
Was the National Child Labor Committee successful?
The National Child Labor Committee developed an interrelated mission of ending child labor and establish free, compulsory education for all children, which ultimately culminated in the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, setting federal standards for child labor.
Where did Florence Kelley give her speech?
by day or by night." [Florence Kelley spoke out against child labor and for woman suffrage in a July 22, 1905 speech in Philadelphia. Florence Kelley [WOAH 09-12] was one of the giants of that generation of women who worked so hard to force American industry to adopt humane conditions.
What was Florence Kelley's education?
Northwest... Pritzker School of...1894Cornell UniversityUniversity of ZurichFlorence Kelley/Education
What was Florence Kelley legacy?
She established outreach programs in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York City. Kelley's legacy is reflected in the ongoing fight for fair wages, economic mobility, and worker protections. Her access to and implementation of outreach networks allowed her to greatly impact labor laws and policies.
What were the 4 goals of the progressive movement?
The main objectives of the Progressive movement were addressing problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.
How did the actions of the suffragettes fix a social problem?
Some teams of women lobbied congress to pass a constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. Meanwhile, other teams used the new referendum to process to try to pass state suffrage laws. This strategy helped women win the right to vote.
What was Florence Kelley legacy?
She established outreach programs in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York City. Kelley's legacy is reflected in the ongoing fight for fair wages, economic mobility, and worker protections. Her access to and implementation of outreach networks allowed her to greatly impact labor laws and policies.
Where did Florence Kelley give her speech?
by day or by night." [Florence Kelley spoke out against child labor and for woman suffrage in a July 22, 1905 speech in Philadelphia. Florence Kelley [WOAH 09-12] was one of the giants of that generation of women who worked so hard to force American industry to adopt humane conditions.
What Florence Kelley wrote?
Kelley wrote several books including "Some Ethical Gains Through Legislation" (1905), "Modern Industry in Relation to the Family" (1914), "The Supreme Court and Minimum Wage Legislation" (1925), and "Autobiography" (1927). Florence Kelley died in Germantown, PA.
Was Florence Kelley a lawyer?
Florence Kelley (September 12, 1859 - February 17, 1932), a lawyer and social worker, is remembered for her work for protective labor legislation for women, her activism working for child labor protections, and for heading National Consumers' League for 34 years.
How many sisters did Kelley have?
Kelley had two brothers and five sisters; all five sisters died in childhood. Three of the sisters were Josephine Bartram Kelley, Caroline Lincoln Kelley, and Anna Caroline Kelley. Josephine died at the age of ten months. Caroline died at the age of four months. Anna died at the age of six years.
Why is Kelley so famous?
Kelley is famous for creating the tradition of protest against racial discrimination, which occurred in the mid-20 th century. With the release of " Birth of a Nation ," Kelley and other NAACP leaders demonstrated in numerous cities against the film for representing a racist interpretation of black people.
Why did Kelley disagree with the NAACP?
The Sheppard-Towner Act was the most contentious issue of disagreement between them. The act provided aid to mothers and children during pregnancy and infancy. The NAACP and DuBois were opposed to the bill because there were no provisions to prevent the discrimination in the distribution of funds to black mothers. Unlike her stance on equitable distribution of educational funds, Kelley was not demanding any provisions for equitable distribution, as she knew the bill would never pass if the issue of race was introduced, especially with the opposition already present from southern states. Kelley believed that it was more important to pass the legislation, even in its limited form, so that the funding would be secured and the primary principle of social welfare would be established. Eventually, Kelley, earned the support of the NAACP on the issue with the promise to monitor the bill if it passed and to work tirelessly toward the equity of all, regardless of race.
What was Kelley known for?
Kelley was known for her firmness and fierce energy. Hull House founder Jane Addams ' nephew called Kelley "the toughest customer in the reform riot, the finest rough-and-tumble fighter for the good life for others, that Hull House ever knew."
What did Kelley investigate?
In 1892, Kelley investigated the labor conditions of Chicago's garment industry by persuading Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics to hire her. During that same year, she conducted a survey of Chicago's slums per the request of U.S. Commissioner of Labor, Carroll D. Wright ,. The survey uncovered children from three-years-old working in "overcrowded tenement apartments". The survey also revealed women overworked past exhaustion, workers risking pneumonia, and children with burns.
What did the Hull House do for Kelley?
The Hull House allowed Kelley to advance in her career by providing her a network to other social organizations and an outlet to pursue the advancement of rights for working women and children. While at the Hull House, Kelley bonded with Jane Addams and Julia Lanthrop, who worked together as major labor reformers.
What university did Kelley attend?
Later, she attended the University of Zurich, the first European university to grant degrees to women, and she joined a group of students advocating socialism. Kelley also earned a law degree at Northwestern University School of Law in 1894. She was then able to start a school for working girls in Pennsylvania.
What is the ID number for Florence Kelley?
Digital ID: mnwp.153003. Introduction: Florence Kelley was a social reformer and political activist who defended the rights of working women and children. She served as the first general secretary of the National Consumers League and helped form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
What was the NCL initiative?
One important initiative of the NCL was the introduction of the White Label. Employers who met the standard of the NCL by utilizing the labor law and keeping the safety standards had the right to display the White Label. The NCL members urged customers to boycott those products that did not have a white label.
Where is Florence Kelley buried?
Florence Kelley died in the Germantown section of Philadelphia on February 17, 1932. She is buried at Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery.
Who edited the letters of Florence Kelley?
Kelley, Florence (2009). The Selected Letters of Florence Kelley, 1869 – 1931. Edited by K. Sklar and B.W. Palmer. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Who was the first woman factory inspector?
Kelley was subsequently appointed the first woman factory inspector, with the task of monitoring the application of this law. To advance her credibility as an inspector, Kelley enrolled to study law at Northwestern University, graduating in 1894, and was successfully admitted to the bar.
Who was the first factory inspector in Illinois?
Based on that success, Kelley was appointed to serve as Illinois’s first chief factory inspector.
Who was the leader of the NAACP?
In 1909 Kelley helped with the organization of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and thereafter became a friend and ally of W.E.B. Du Bois. Kelle y possessed enormous energy and ability to describe the oppressive conditions of the working classes.
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Abstract
Florence Kelley illuminated how degraded environments stemmed from the social relations and operations of industrial capitalism. As a social reformer, she worked to document the various dangers that workers confronted. She presented how laborers were exposed to noxious gases, toxic substances, and poisonous chemicals and dyes.
What was Florence Kelley's role in the Chicago slums?
Florence Kelley, a lifelong advocate for women and children, came to Chicago with her three children fleeing an abusive husband. She lived at Hull-House in the 1890s and was appointed state factory inspector by Governor John Peter Altgeld, becoming the first woman to hold that post in the United States. As factory inspector she and her colleagues worked to place children in school and remove them from tenement factories and dangerous industrial environments. With colleagues she conducted a wage and ethnicity census of the slums of Chicago at the time of the World’s Fair, resulting in the publication of Hull-House Maps and Papers(1895). Its findings and astute observations are relevant today. This book braids together three narratives: the story of Florence Kelley’s life as a mother and reformer in the tumult of 1890s Chicago; the story of the author’s arrival in Chicago a century later and her new life and work here; and references to wrongful convictions and exonerations over the course of a decade leading finally to the abolition of capital punishment in Illinois.
What did the 1890s people want?
These 1890’s people were crusaders, reformers, lawyers. They were like us, and not like us. They wanted justice, and to do good. Or, they wanted things to stay the same and to hang on to what they had. Many were inspiring writers and thinkers. They fought for a new and better society. There seemed to be no public issue they hadn’t considered and discussed, often with a degree of sophistication and depth beyond what can be found in our present public discourse. And so the subject of the book kept shifting. What would Florence Kelley and her intelligent, articulate companions have said about our world? Could they have kept steady their moral compass?
What was Florence Kelley's authority?
Florence Kelley’s official authority came from the Illinois Factory and Workshop Inspection statute enacted in 1893. Her personal authority, and the role she played were unique. The political opposition to the efforts of the factory inspectors was also formidable. The opposition to government regulation and inspection of factories in the tenements did not go away quietly. Those interests fought the implementation of the statute with all their considerable political and economic resources.
How many cases are there in the homicide web site?
Eventually, the homicide web site was launched with an interactive search engine which provided access to the 14,000 case records and to hundreds of contemporaneous photographs and thousands of pages of documents and commentary.(homicide.northwestern.edu).
When was the Florence Kelley Project created?
The Florence Kelley web site was launched in 2008, making available thousands more pages of court records, photographs, letters, documents, books and commentary. (FlorenceKelley.northwestern.edu).
What is Chicago politics?
In Chicago, politics remains our principal preoccupation, entertainment, and the scourge of our struggle to create a responsible, accountable civil society. Remarkable people walk on stage, disappear into the wings, and what happened when and where and to whom, becomes a matter of dispute, sometimes in the courts. Public officials come and go, and some end up in prison. And so it was in the 1890’s. The hands on the levers of power may have changed, but many patterns and synchronicities remain.
Did Florence Kelley write a book about Chicago?
Still, a book about Florence Kelley and her time in Chicago was necessary, although there were already three excellent, very different biographies of her, and she had written her own Autobiography. There was much more to be found out about her time in Chicago at Hull House and her life and accomplishments as the first statewide factory inspector in the country.
THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL URBANIZATION
As the country grew, certain elements led some towns to morph into large urban centers, while others did not. The following four innovations proved critical in shaping urbanization at the turn of the century: electric lighting, communication improvements, intracity transportation, and the rise of skyscrapers.
THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES OF URBAN LIFE
Congestion, pollution, crime, and disease were prevalent problems in all urban centers; city planners and inhabitants alike sought new solutions to the problems caused by rapid urban growth. Living conditions for most working-class urban dwellers were atrocious.
Section Summary
Urbanization spread rapidly in the mid-nineteenth century due to a confluence of factors. New technologies, such as electricity and steam engines, transformed factory work, allowing factories to move closer to urban centers and away from the rivers that had previously been vital sources of both water power and transportation.
Review Questions
Which of the following four elements was not essential for creating massive urban growth in late nineteenth-century America?
Overview
Florence Moltrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was a social and political reformer and the pioneer of the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rights is widely regarded today.
From its founding in 1899, Kelley served as the first general secretary of the National Consumers League. In 1909, Kelley helped to create the National Association for the Advancement of Colore…
Early life
On September 12, 1859, Kelley was born to William D. Kelley (1814–1890) and Caroline Bartram Bonsall in Philadelphia. Her father was a self-made man who became an abolitionist, a founder of the Republican Party, a judge, and a longtime member of the US House of Representatives.
Kelley was influenced mainly by her father and said, "I owe him everything that I have ever been able to learn to do." Throughout her early years, he read books to her that involved child labor. E…
Education
In her early years, she was severely sick and highly susceptible to infections and so was unable to go to school for a period of time. On days that she would miss school she would be in her father's library and read many books.
In 1882, Kelley attended Cornell University at age 16. At Cornell, she was a Phi Beta Kappa member. There, she wrote her thesis about disadvantaged childre…
Socialism and civil rights
Kelley was a member of the Intercollegiate Socialist Society, an activist for women's suffrage and African-American civil rights. She was a follower of Karl Marx and a friend of Friedrich Engels. Her translation, of the latter's The Condition of the Working Class in England into English in 1885 is still used today. She appears there as "Mrs. F. Kelley Wischnewetzky" and was also kn…
Factory inspection and child labor
Kelley's father had toured her through glass factories at night when she was young. Kelley fought to make it illegal for children under the age of 14 to work and to limit the number of hours for children under 16. She sought to give the children the right of education, and argued that children must be nurtured to be intelligent people.
From 1891 through 1899, Kelley lived at the Hull House settlement in Chicago. Kelley took the init…
NAACP and work on racial equality
Asked by William English Walling and Mary White Ovington, Kelley became a founding member of the NAACP. As a member of the board of directors, she belonged to committees on Nomination, The Budget, Federal Aid to Education, Anti-Lynching, and the Inequality Expenditure of School Funds. According to W.E.B. DuBois, Kelley was well known for asking pointed questions to find a course of action. Her public discussions covered black people in churches, social welfare forums…
National Consumers League and eight-hour day
From 1899 through 1926, she lived at the Henry Street settlement house on New York City. From there, she founded and acted as General Secretary of the National Consumers League, which was strongly anti-sweatshop. She used her direction to raise public awareness and pass state legislation to protect workers, primarily for women and children. The Consumers' League established a Cod…
Other accomplishments
In 1907 Kelley organized New York’s Committee on Congestion of Population, after which she and Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch sponsored an exhibit on the causes and consequences of congestion and methods for alleviating it, catalyzing the first National Conference on City Planning in 1909. Kelley worked with Josephine Goldmark to make the Brandeis Brief to demonstrate the harmful effects of overtime on women's health. The action helped support arguments in Muller v. Orego…
Introduction
Early years
Education
Personal life
Career
Early history
Achievements
- Kelley led campaigns that reshaped the conditions under which goods were produced in the United States. Among her accomplishments were the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and laws regulating hours and establishing minimum wages. In 1905 Kelley, together with Upton Sinclair and Jack London, started the Intercollegiate Socialist Society. She gave a se...
Other activities
Death
Resources
Sources