Dorothea Dix Accomplishments

Dorothea Dix once said, "in a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do." In the 19th century, when Dorothea Dix was born and lived during, many changes were occurring in the United States. The War of 1812, then the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War all occurred during Dorothea Dix's lifetime, which likely had a large impact on her outlook on the United States and her visions for her own future. Dorothea Dix was a powerful, passionate woman, who change the world through her work in insane asylums and through her work as the head of nurses in the Civil War. Dorothea Dix's ancestry shows much of the woman she later became in her life. Dorothea's grandfather, Elijah Dix,

It is unknown whether Dorothea ran away from home, or if she was sent to her grandparents house by her parents for more love and support. Nonetheless, Dorothea moved to Boston. Her grandmother had been widowed five years earlier and was now sixty-eight years old. Dorothea and her beloved grandmother did not get along as well as they would have hoped. Dorothy Dix wanted Dorothea to be lady-like and obedient, however, Dorothea rebelled against her grandmother and would refuse to learn manners that her grandmother believed to be essential to becoming a young lady. After two years, Dorothy Dix asked her sister if Dorothea could come live with her. So, off Dorothea went, to her Great Aunt Sarah's house in Worcester, Massachusetts. In Worcester, Dorothea received the love and support she had missed out on as a child. Aunt Sarah was not nearly as strict as Grandma Dix, so Dorothea was happy. Shortly after moving to Worcester, Dorothea wanted to open up a school. Her aunt approved and she was able to open a school in an old printing shop. This school was very successful, especially for a fourteen year old girl. Dorothea had about twenty children at a time at her school. Here, she taught the children basic skills, bible study, but also the same morals that she herself had refused to learn back at Dix Mansion. In 1819, when Dorothea was 17 years old,

This caused her to have to shut her school down. Then, in 1831, Dorothea's health picked up again and she was able to re-open her school. However, she again, pushed herself too much. In 1836, at the age of 34, Dorothea had an emotional and physical collapse. She again closed her school due to her health but this time, her doctor recommended she take a "trip" to England to venture away from stress. She took the doctor's advice and went to England. By the time the ship arrived at the shore though, Dorothea was too sick to continue, so she stayed in Liverpool, England. Here, a man by the name of William Rathbone, offered for Dorothea to stay with him at his house with his family. She gladly accepted and stayed in his home. In the company of Mr. Rathbone, Dorothea met many people, one included a man by the name of Samuel Tuke, who was the founder of the hospital known as York Retreat (Heroines of Mercy Street). Dorothea was intrigued in this hospital, so she went and visited it at one point. She was amazed to see that the hospital was for the mentally ill and the hospital's main focus was in the humane treatment of the patients. This was a very inspiring moment to Dorothea. Dorothea later found out that her beloved grandmother died in the summer of 1837, just before Dorothea was able to return to the United States. After she had spent eighteen