Since the humble beginnings of social work, many people have worked, fought, and devoted their lives tirelessly to advocating on behalf of the people of our world who are disadvantaged. Furthermore, many of these people were women who not only were strong enough to fight for the rights of others, but who also had to fight the forces that believed that women were somehow second-hand citizens themselves. . These women were courageous and determined enough to step out of the box society had placed them in, to stand up for the social injustices they witnessed, and to try to make a difference. Among the many women in early social work, none fought harder for social reform than Grace Abbott. Grace Abbott spent her life fighting to pass laws that would improve society as a whole. This work eventually earned her the nickname “mother of America’s forty-three million children.” Grace Abbott was born November 17, 1878 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Grace was one of four children of Othman A. and Elizabeth Abbott. There was a family environment that emphasized religious independence, education and general equality. Grace grew up watching her father, a Civil War veteran, argue in court as a lawyer. His father would later become Nebraska's first lieutenant governor. Elizabeth, his mother, told him about the social injustices inflicted on the Native Americans of the Great Plains. Additionally, Grace learned about the women's suffrage movement, of which her mother was an early leader in Nebraska. During Grace's childhood, she was exposed to figures like Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, who lived down the street from the Abbotts, and Susan B. Anthony, the prominent civil rights leader who introduced women. .. middle of paper.... ..Grace_AbbottBooth, A. (1931, May). Grace Abbott, the twelve greatest women in America. Good housekeeping. Retrieved from http://ssacentennial.uchicago.edu/features/features-graceabbott.shtmlGrace Abbott, Ph.M. (Political Science) 1909 [SSA Centennial Celebration Distinction Profiles Series]. (nd). In Chicago/SSA/Centenial. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from the University of Chicago website: http://ssacentennial.uchicago.edu/features/features-abbott-grace.shtmlLifson. (1997). Grace Abbott and the struggle for social reform. Humanities, 18(1), 40. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9705231699&site=ehost-liveSorensen, J. and Abbott, E. (2004). The maternity and early childhood revolution. Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 8(3), 107-110. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14089739&site=ehost-live