Dr. Abbott And Social Welfare History - 1128 Words

Abstract Many pioneers have been influential in advancing the field of social work and one of the early influencers was Edith Abbott. According to the Social Welfare History Project, Abbott was an early social reformer born in 1876 and lived until 1957. Dr. Abbott was known as a â€Å"Social Reformer, Author, Administrator and Educator†. (Sorenson, Abbott, Edith - Social Welfare History Project) This paper will explore the background which brought Dr. Abbott to the forefront of the early social work world by speaking about her ethnicity, family background, political affiliation, and reasons why they dedicated their lives to helping others. In addition, this paper will discuss the settings and subfields most associated with the individual,†¦show more content†¦Edith’s political affiliation was pro-suffrage for woman and republican. Her family were Quakers, as was her mother, Elizabeth. Elizabeth played a crucial role in women’s higher education and also, graduated from Rockford Seminary in 1868 (Women s Intellectual Contributions, n.d.). Edith’s father, Othman, was a soldier, lawyer and banker and perhaps more influentially the first lieutenant governor of the state of Nebraska. Early in Edith’s life, her father had financial troubles at his place of work, which caused the family to have to work for years to recoup their hard earned money (Women s Intellectual Contributions, n.d.). Early in her educational career, Edith’s parents enrolled her in Brownell Hall, where Edith graduated from in 1893 with top honors and as valedictorian. Upon graduation, Abbott taught high school in her hometown; this lead her to continue her own education and began taking classes to prepare for college. She went on to attend the University of Nebraska and graduated in 1901 and from there continued her education further by achieving her doctoral degree in economics from the University of Chicago in 1905 (Women s Intellectual Contributions, n.d .). According to The National Association of Social Workers website, Edith also studied at the London School of Economics. From there, she continued on to teach at Wellesley College until 1908,