Dorothea L. Dix was a caring, significant and determined individual due to all her hard work and dedication to society and its citizens. She accomplished many of her goals throughout her life. Dorothea was an American social reformer, pioneer in the humane treatment of the insane, inspected jails, ran a school in Boston, took part in the civil war, wrote a famous memorandum to the state legislature, and published some of her own books.
Dorothea’s devotion to the welfare of the mentally ill led to the widespread international reforms. She spent forty years in pursuit to persuade the U.S and Canadian legislators to establish state hospitals for the mentally ill. Her efforts resulted in the construction of thirty-two institutions in the United …show more content…
Many of these ideas had to be reconsidered as the common battles brought many wounded soldiers. Dorothea and other compatible women staged a march in April of 1861 to demand that the government should allow women to help the wounded soldiers. That same year, she was appointed Superintendent of Women Nurses for the Union Army. Her duties were: setting up hospitals and first aid stations, recruiting nurses, managing supplies and setting up programs when rain was involved. Although she was resourceful and focused, many thought she didn’t have the social skills that were needed to navigate the military system. Dix constantly failed in her duties. It wasn’t easy dealing with bitter male surgeons and officials. Her weakness in dealing with people was obvious. She was extremely compassionate, but her ruthless conduct was not always pleasant. She had several methods for selecting new nurses. In the beginning, she would only take nurses who agreed with her religious ideas, and were over the age of thirty. Although, as the battles increase they bought in causalities, Dorothea had no other choice than to lower her standards. Her success in Massachusetts gave Dix credibility with legislatures in other states. She prepared “ceremonies “designed to inform lawmakers and shame them into doing what was right. She began instructing at a school at the age of fourteen. In 1819 she returned to Boston and founded a school for girls named Dix Mansion. During her early life, she worked cautiously, teaching during the day while reading and writing late in the afternoon.(Sometimes at night) Among her students were the daughters of Bostonian William Ellery Channing, whom became one of her early supporters. Plus, she was able to establish a charity school so that poor girls could attend for free. At that time, she began writing textbooks. A