A Biography of Dorothea Dix Introduction Dorothea dix was an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane. Dix was a woman who dedicated her life to changing conditions for people who couldn’t do it themselves such as, the mentally ill and the people in prisons. Ms. Dix was a woman who did many things. She was an author, teacher, activist, and a superintendent of nurses during the civil war. Dix instilled changes in the treatment and care of the mentally ill and helped improved the living conditions in the prison. The results of her efforts can still be seen throughout the United States. Early Life Dix was born April 4, 1802(I.P. 1976) in Hampden, Maine. She lived with her parents but, was an unhappy child at home. Dix later moved to Boston in 1814 to live with her wealthy grandmother. She never really attended school while living with her parents, but in her adulthood, with not to many options for women, Dix decided to become a school teacher. (Parry, M. S. 2006, April). She decided to start her …show more content…
She also established hospitals in 13 other states and the District of Columbia. (I. P. 1976). She was appointed the highest office held by a woman during the war to be the superintendent of nurses. She supervised all of the nurses there at that time. Dix asked the congress to grant more than 12 million of land to be used for the mentally ill as well as the deaf and blind. The congress approved at this time but, was later vetoed by President Franklin Pierce. Dix legacy is seriously disproportionate, barely beginning to ask why her efforts for Asylums proved so much success. She was also an advocate for the needy in her society (one who is self- centered and troublesome). Dix was a woman who worked to promote the welfare of the sick and wounded. She contributed a lot of hard work and effort to support those women and the mentally ill. She made sure she mad a difference in people