Contrary to popular misconceptions, not all settlement house communities were bastions of progressive reform or populated with personalities such as Jane Addams, Robert Hunter, Raymond Robbins, or Mary Simkhovitch. Most settlement houses were in moderate to large cities and existed outside of the national limelight. This book examines the emergence and maturation of Minneapolis settlement houses from 1915-1950, their controversial nature, the role that social control played within that movement, and the conflict that existed between the socialization function of the settlements and the often altruistic motives of the settlement leaders. Of interest to students and scholars of social welfare policy and American history.
