...Dorothea Dix, an advocator for the mentally ill, changed the lives of such people directly. She spent countless years working towards her cause, and regardless of the multitude of setbacks she encountered, was able to thrive and reign with her visions. Dorothea Dix advocated for the humane treatment of the mentally insane to be changed, however, in order to achieve her vision of benevolent management of the mentally ill, she overcame many setbacks, including personal struggles, gender inequality, and difficulty with legislation. Before laws were created to mandate civil treatment of the mentally ill within prisons, hospitals, or other institutions, those people were treated very poorly. The mentally ill were confined to cages and other small areas, in a way not suitable for a human being to live. The states did not provide heating for the patients. The way that the people were maintained led Dorothea Dix to begin a career centered on advocating their rights. “The popular belief was that the insane would never be cured and living within their dreadful conditions was enough for them” (Bumb). The social...
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..."Dorothea Dix was an indefatigable New England reformer who brought the plight of the mentally ill to the people and governing bodies of several states and foreign countries” (Norbury,1999 p.14). During the seventeenth century most Americans viewed people who were mentally ill differently than other. They were called the lost souls and viewed as incurable and helpless. They were thrown into prison, mistreated, beaten, and taken advantage. It couldn’t be perceived or cured and was simple to be endured. Dorothea Dix wanted to change how these people were treated. She took her time to advocate for the mentally ill. She played an instrumental role, and developed 30 hospitals for the treatment of mental ill. Dorothea Lynde Dix was born on 4 April...
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...Wendy Parker HIS 132-51 E. Jackson April 23, 2013 Dorothea Lynde Dix: A Woman With A Voice, Vision, and Victory For the Mentally Insane Deep in the dark dungeons of the jail or the “crazy cellar,” lived the neglected and often beaten, mentally insane. Naked, filthy, and foul-smelling, they often lived among other hardened criminals and “lunatics” of the day. There was no heat in the winter, or coolness in the summer, for it was thought they could not feel the heat or the cold, and they most certainly did not deserve any better. Chains bound them together, but one woman made it her life’s ambition to break those chains of confinement and of inhumane, barbaric treatment that the mentally ill endured in the early 1800’s. This woman was Dorothea Lynde Dix. As a social reformer, teacher, writer, nurse and humanitarian, Dorothea Dix devoted her life to the welfare of the mentally ill and handicapped. Her methods of research, lobbying, and advocacy were both innovative and effective in changing the world’s perceptions of the mentally ill. The overall purpose of this paper is to trace her life from her early to later years, with an emphasis on her antebellum and Civil War career, and then take a final look at a hospital here in North Carolina she helped to establish. By doing so, one may learn how and why she was inspired to make it her life-long career to advocate for the mentally ill in the ingenious ways she did. Dorothea Dix was defined by her earliest beginnings. Born in Hampden...
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...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...
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...Dorothea Lynde Dix, a social reformer, was born in Hampden, Maine on April 4, 1802 and grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. At age 14, Dorothea Dix began teaching. Later in 1819 she established an all girls’ school called Dix Mansion as well as a charity school for unfortunate girls. In the year 1841, Dorothea Dix started teaching at East Cambridge Jail, a prison only for women. Teaching Sunday school at East Cambridge Jail took a turn for Dorothea’s life. During her time teaching there, she realized that the handling of prisoners were horrifying, especially the handling of prisoners who were mentally ill. In result Dorothea Dix spent most of her life devoting to the welfare of the mentally ill. She began traveling around the country to investigate the environment and conditions of prisons and documented all the conditions. One case that was documented was about an old man she had visited. The old man became mentally ill after the death of his only son. Jail was the only place this man could go to be cared for. The old man was found lying on a small bed in a dark basement room deprived of necessary comfort. All documentation of the prison’s environment, such as the case of the old man was presented to the Massachusetts legislature. Not only did Dorothea investigate and document the conditions of prisons around the...
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...prisoners, mentally ill people locked up--Dorothea Dix was horrified by what she saw when she visited a Massachusetts jail in 1841. This is when she started investigating prisons and asylums all over Massachusetts, to find out what really occurs on the other sides of the stone walls. Dix was born in Hampden, Maine and grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was first of three children to Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow, and ran away from her alcoholic parents and abusive father to live with her prosperous grandmother at 12 years old. At age 14, she began teaching school and founded the Dix Mansion, a school for poor girls who couldn’t afford education. Dix didn’t know it yet, but her life was about to change and her whole future would be determined after that first visit. Dorothea Dix’s life completely changed when she visited East Cambridge Jail, a women's prison to teach Sunday school. Naked and chained...
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...many people who helped create the history through over the times. One important person in history time was Dorothea Dix. Dorothea Dix once said “What greater bliss than to look back on days spent in usefulness, in doing good in those around us.” This quote shows that Dorothea Dix was happy on the time she spent in making changes for the prisoner in prison. Dix was one of the important people to help change life of those people. Dorothea Dix was an important figure in American History because, she did her best and succeeded to help the life of others. She improved life for others that’s what makes her an important figure in American History she went out of her way to help others. Everyone has a early life/childhood as kid, so did Dorothea Dix. Dix was born on April 4,1802 in Hampden, Maine. She was the eldest of three children, her father was Joseph Dix and mother was Mary Bigelow. Dorothea Dix began teaching at the...
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...Dorothea Dix Paper Born in Hampton, Maine, Dorothea Lynde Dix is known for being a nurse, educator, and social reformer. Dix had a rough childhood. She was the oldest out of three with a mother that was suffering from mental health issues and a father that was an alcoholic. Because her household was not the best environment for she and her siblings to live, Madame Dix, Dix’s grandmother took them to live with her in Boston. By that time, Dix was twelve and was already very familiar with taking care of her siblings. Her compassionate nature heavily influenced the decisions she makes later in her life. Dix’s dedication and devotion in fighting to improve the conditions at jails and mental asylums are the reasons she is also known as the “Voice...
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...“The fact is that, in all prisons everywhere, cruelties on the one hand and injudicious laxity of discipline on the other have at times appeared and will, at intervals, be renewed except the most vigilant oversight is maintained.” (Brainyquote.com) Dorothea Lynde Dix was instrumental in improving the treatment of the mentally ill. Her determination to improve the conditions for the “blind, deaf, and the dumb” was sparked when she traveled to England with some of her friends. While in England, she took a job teaching inmates at East Cambridge Jail, a women's prison. While employed at the prison, she witnessed the cruel treatment of the mentally ill, which included being flagged, chained, starved, left naked with neither heat nor sanitation, and being sexually and physically abused. (Biography.com) She believed...
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...Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden, Maine in 1802; she was the eldest of three children. Her family was a mess time to time. She was always stitching and pasting tracts together because her father was a religious fanatic. She had always hated that chore. As time passed, Dorothea at age 12 ran away to Boston to live with her grandmother. When he turned 14 she started teaching schools for example Dix Mansion. Dix Mansion was a school for poor girls who couldn’t afford paying for school. During this time she also started writing textbooks; one of her most famous textbook ever published was known as Conversations on Common Things. In the year of 1841, Dorothea Dix’s life began changing. She started to teach Sunday school at East Cambridge Jail....
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...are more active than others. One of those people happens to have been Dorothea Dix. I am writing you to see if there is any way we could acknowledge what Dix did for the people of our country. Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden Maine in 1802. Her journey began when she witnessed the horrible conditions of a women’s prison in Massachusetts. She saw how the prisoners, especially the mentally ill, were being treated, and knew she had to make a change. She spent the next 40 years of her life trying to improve conditions. Dix began traveling throughout the state to research the conditions of other prisons. She gathered information that she then presented to the Massachusetts legislature. By doing this, she managed to get more money for the expansion of the State Mental Hospital. Although this itself was a major accomplishment, she wasn’t satisfied. She then traveled all over the country doing more research such as the conditions of the prisons, and the treatment of the patients. She started campaigning to create humane asylums and succeeded in quite a few states. Next, Dix decided to go to congress. She wanted them to grant her more than 12 million acres of land to use for the benefit of the mentally ill. Both houses of congress approved the bill, but it was vetoes by President Franklin Pierce in 1854. Dix was less than encouraged by her setback, so she set off to Europe to continue her work. Dorothea Dix led a substantial life, and had many achievements. She held a major role...
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...The life of Dorothea D Wichita Area Technical College Foundations of Nursing Mrs. Plank September 18, 2012 The life of Dorothea Dix Dorothea Lynde Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. She was the oldest of three; her parents were Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow Dix. Her father was an itinerant Methodist preacher. Her family life can be described as abusive and nonexistent. Her mother was not in good mental health and her father was an abusive alcoholic. Once the family was in Worcester they had two more children, Joseph and Charles. Almost immediately Dorothea began to care for her smaller brothers. Even though her household wasn't the best she learned many things from her father that would influence many of her choices in life. When she was young he taught her how to read and write. This developed a passion for reading and teaching. Soon after their move to Vermont her parents moved to Worcester, Massachusetts. At this time her mother was suffering from acute, incurable headaches and her father was drinking heavily. It was decided at this time that her parents were no longer capable of caring for their three children. Her grandmother decided to take her and her brothers to live at the Dix Mansion in Boston. At this time Dorothea was twelve and had already been accustomed to caring for her brothers, which is something that continued as she lived with her seventy-year old grandmother. Life at her grandmother’s wasn’t what she was used to so she soon moved...
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...Dix continued her work on the state level by continuing in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In 1843, the opening of the New York State Lunatic Asylum in Utica opened seven years after state legislature approved the asylum Dix’s was lobbying. The original plan was to spend $500,000 but increased the funding in order to create four wings, and accommodate for over 1,000 people. Dix concluded in her time in New York that they should create new state facilities for the incurable insane, and she urged legislature to establish several asylums in different parts of the states. She said that a plan similar to the one in Utica would be created, but with lower costs. Although the costs were to be lower they still needed to assure comfort and careful attendance. Dix moved right from New York into lobbying in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Dix hoped to promote moral treatment in Pennsylvania, Dix had already successfully got Pennsylvania legislature to approve the construction of a state asylum. The insane that were once kept in almshouses had a designated place to live; this was...
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...Springboard Activity One Quote from book and Warm-Up Students will read this quote on the smart board and answer the following questions: How do you feel about the nurse being a wolf? What do you think about people being wolfs in everyday life? "This world ... belongs to the strong, my friend! The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak. We must face up to this. No more than right that it should be this way. We must learn to accept it as a law of the natural world. The rabbits accept their role in the ritual and recognize the wolf as the strong. In defense, the rabbit becomes sly and frightened and elusive and he digs holes and hides when the wolf is about. And he endures, he goes on. He knows his place. He most certainly doesn't challenge the wolf to combat. Now, would that be wise? Would it?" He [Harding] lets go McMurphy's hand and leans back and crosses his legs, takes another long pull off the cigarette. He pulls the cigarette from his thin crack of a smile, and the laugh starts up again-eee-eee-eee, like a nail coming out of a plank. "Mr. McMurphy ... my friend ... I'm not a chicken, I'm a rabbit. The doctor is a rabbit. Cheswick there is a rabbit. Billy Bibbit is a rabbit. All of us in here are rabbits of varying ages and degrees, hippity-hopping through our Walt Disney world. Oh, don't misunderstand me, we're not in here because we are rabbits-we'd be rabbits wherever we were-we're all in here because we can't adjust...
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...Ms. Dorothea Dix: Humanitarian, Reformer, and Educator It is often said one person can change the world and make all the difference. In the 19th century, Ms. Dorothea Dix was that one person. Dorothea Dix dreamed of being a school teacher, which was a goal she obtained. Later she moved on and became a social reformer for the mentally ill, and at the golden age of 59, Ms. Dorothea Dix volunteered her services and was appointed Superintendent of the Army Female Nursing Corps. During a time when women did not have equal rights as men, Dorothea Dix overcame great struggles and accomplished more in her lifetime than most people. Dorothea Dix’s accomplishments and dedication to humanity paved the way to establish better care and treatment of mental health patients. Dorothea Lynde Dix was born in Hampden, Maine on April 4th, 1802. She was the eldest of three born to Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow Dix. After several failed attempts at becoming a salesman and manager, Joseph Dix became a traveling Methodist preacher. Her mother, Mary Dix was rumored to have suffered from depression, retardation and was bedridden for most of Dorothea’s childhood (MacLean, 2012). Although her father was a frequently absent, alcoholic and abusive father he still taught he daughter to read and write at a young age. Because of...
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