 An analysis of Addams’ moral philosophy suggests at least three claims about her relationship to feminist care ethics avant la lettre. One, Addams’ approach to the important social issues of her day reflected the relationality and contextualization that are important to what is called care ethics today. Two, although Addams employed caring in response to the needs of others, she contributes an active, even assertive, dimension to care ethics not commonly found in feminist theory. Third, Addams advocates what might be called “socializing care”: systemically instantiating the habits and practices of care in social institutions.