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Dorothea Lynde Dix was born in Hampden, Maine. Her father, a Methodist priest, worked a lot and did not see much of Dorothea and her mother, leading to her mothers depression and the inability to give Dorothea the love and attention that was needed.

(Jannson, 2014, pg. 106)

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By the age of 12, Dorothea moved into her Grandmother's home in Boston. Any hope of receiving the love and compassion that she hoped for was quickly gone as her grandmother was extremely strict and disciplined, with high standards and expectations.

(Jansson, 2014, pg. 106).

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By age 14, she began teaching and at 19 years old she opened a school out of her grandmothers home where she started publishing some of her own works and also when she began suffering her own health problems both physically and mentally.

(Jansson, 2014, pg. 206)

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Dorothea visited the York Retreat while recovering with her own health problems. She became interested in mental health which was only the beginning of her crusades working with and for the mentally ill.

(Jansson, 2014, pg. 206)

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Her grandmother had passed, leaving her with enough money to survive the rest of her life without working. She returned to teaching, this time at the local women's jail where she soon realized that some of the women were there for no reason other than mental illness. She also noticed the women were cold and lacking the slightest bit of humanity. This awareness lead to the crusade to create more humane and specialized treatments for the mentally ill.

(Jansson, 2014, pg. 206)

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She began to conduct more research on the living environments and treatments for the mentally ill, "interviewing more than 10,000 mentally ill persons, traveling 10,000 miles by carriage, and visiting 300 county jails, and 500 poorhouses" (Jansson, 2014, pg.106) .She presented her findings to the Massachusetts legislature to provide funds for the treatment of the mentally ill, which, after being denied, was eventually approved. She fought for and won the establishment of the state hospital in Trenton, the first public mental hospital in the state of New Jersey.

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"Dix and other reformers wanted smaller, local institutions where the individuals could get a more caring and personal relationship with the residents with things such as “meditation, moral and religious instruction, gardening, recreation, and hard work” (Jansson, 2014, pg. 105). Dorothea took her crusade to the nations capital, demanding that a bill be passed to provide federal land grants to states for the construction, maintenance, and expansion of mental health facilities. "Dorothea used her findings of the maltreatment of the mentally ill and cycled it around mass media as well as to state legislatures so that people could not ignore or deny the cruelty that was happening" (Jannson, 2014, pg. 106).

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President Franklin Pierce vetoed the bill, "claiming that the bill was neither constitutional nor economically feasible" (Jansson, 2014, pg. 107). This did not stop Dix's efforts to continue to fight for the mentally ill. Dorothea persuaded "state legislatures to establish at least 33 mental health facilities over a span of roughly 20 years, not counting her work after the Civil War (Jannson, 2014, pg. 105). These were only a few of Dorothea's monumental accomplishments during her time. Her efforts to remove people from the poor houses and prisons into more appropriate housing and facilities continued with many challenges along the way, such as receiving funds to construct  institutions but not enough to continue their maintenance or expansion with ease. (Jansson, 2014, pg. 107).

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Dorothea left her job as an army nurse during the Civil War, working to improve the quality of army hospitals to return to her advocacy for the mentally ill. Her accomplishments influenced the development of the social work profession through her passionate efforts to improve the welfare of a population that was clearly being looked over. “Dorothea Dix’s career illustrates that personal characteristics such as persistence are critical to policy advocacy -- persistence that is fueled by moral outrage.” (Jannson, 2014, pg. 105). She showed us what can be accomplished when one perseveres. Despite her setbacks and her own health deteriorating quickly, she continued to advocate for the mentally ill for years after the Civil War.

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Dorothea passed away at Trenton Hospital, which she had fought for and won for the wellness of others. She will forever be remembered as  a teacher and crusader for the humane treatment of the mentally ill and as someone who tirelessly paved the way for the countries mental health movement.

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Jansson, B. (2014). The reluctant welfare state: Engaging history to advance social work practice in contemporary society (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. (Pg. 77, 105-107)

Photos:
Dorothea Dix. Norwood, A. (2017).
(https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dorothea-dix)

Kevin Ly, Janet Hong, and Julie Tran
Junior Group Website Division
(https://legacyofthedragondix.weebly.com/mentally-ill-reformsasylums.html)

California Governor Vetoes Bill After Dialysis Patients Raise Concerns. (2018). (https://www.dialysispatients.org/news/california-governor-vetoes-bill-after-dialysis-patients-raise-concerns/)

The York Retreat (2013) (https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/chm/outreach/trade_in_lunacy/research/yorkretreat/)

DOROTHEA DIX WAR MEMORIAL MARKER (https://www.nationalwarmemorialregistry.org/joomla/new-jersey/dorothea-dix-war-memorial-marker)

Founder Of The First Mental Asylums In The U.S (https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/09/dorothea-dix.html)

Dorothea Dix Timeline. (2007-2021)
(https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/dorothea-dix--17)

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (2020).
(http://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/history4.html)