November
12, 2010
Reform and Immigration in Chicago: Hull-House Alumnae in
Action
The Professor and the Prostitute: Sophonisba Breckinridge and the
Morals Court in Depression-Era Chicago Anya Jabour, University of
Montana
In 1930, Sophonisba Breckinridge, Professor of Social Service Administration
at the University of Chicago, launched a campaign to investigate and reform
legal procedures in the Morals Court, a specialized municipal court established
to deal with accused prostitutes. Hailed as a model progressive reform at the
time of its inception in 1913, by 1930 the Morals Court was plagued by routine
violations of due process as well as charges of police corruption and
institutionalized racism. Breckinridge1s campaign to secure civil rights for
accused prostitutes offers a new perspective on the politics of prostitution and
on feminist activism in the interwar period.
Hilda Satt Polacheck (1882-1967):
Worker, Writer, ‘Hull House Girl'Bridget K. O'Rourke,
Elmhurst College
Commentator: Rima Lunin Schultz, Independent Scholar
aplatonic 3 on 12 Mar 13Women and Social Movements in the United States is a resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history. Organized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, this collection seeks to advance scholarly debates and understanding about U.S. history generally at the same time that it makes the insights of women's history accessible to teachers and students at universities, colleges, and high schools.
