 Laura Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois, on September 6, 1860. She grew up in the shadow of the Civil War and during a time when Darwin’s Origin of the Species achieved widespread influence. Her childhood reflected the material advantage of being the daughter of a politician and successful mill owner, John Addams. When Jane was two years old, her mother, Mary, died giving birth to her ninth child. Subsequently, the precocious Addams doted upon her father and benefited emotionally and intellectually from his attention. Although John Addams was no advocate of feminism, he desired higher education for his daughter. Therefore, he sent her to the all-women’s institution, Rockford Seminary (renamed later Rockford College) in Rockford, Illinois. As a result, Addams became part of a generation of women that were among the first in their families to attend college. At Rockford, she experienced the empowerment of living in a women-centered environment, and she blossomed as an intellectual and a social leader. Her classmates and teachers acknowledged this leadership. Ultimately, Addams spearheaded an effort to bring baccalaureate degrees to the school and, after serving as class valedictorian, received the first one.