Toynbee Hall and the American Settlement Movement

Abstract

Toynbee Hall and the American settlement houses had their origins in middle-class, largely college-educated men and women who were concerned with the conditions of the urban poor. They saw in the settlement house an opportunity to share their lives and culture with the poor and to allay the dangers of class struggle. Toynbee Hall, founded in 1885, served as a direct impetus to the pioneer settlement houses in the United States. Americans imitated its form and many of its practices, but the circumstances of American life led to significant changes on the English model. By 1900, the American movement dwarfed its British predecessors, and international leadership passed to American settlement-house officials.