Dorothea Dix: The One who Pursued Her Life-Long Dreams

She dedicated her life to helping the sick and elderly after the war. Even though she was beaten throughout

Out of all her achievements, Harriet Tubman nursing in the Massachusetts 54th regiment was the most impressive out of all her achievements such were saving slaves from slavery, spying during the civil war, care giving, and nursing. Without those achievements Harriet is now known as one of the best women to ever live. Without her the world would be a different

Jane Addams, a pioneering social worker, helped bring attention to the possibility of revolutionizing America’s attitude toward the poor. Not only does she remain a rich source of provocative social theory to this day, her accomplishments affected the philosophical, sociological, and political thought. Addams was an activist of courage and a thinker of originality. Jane Addams embodied the purest moral standards of society which were best demonstrated by her founding of the Hull-House and her societal contributions, culminating with the winning of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize.

To begin with by examining Diox firmness, mentality , and heroic personality it was clear that Dorothea Dix was able to stop injustice going on in the East Cambridge prison. It all began that same year Diox and some friends travel to england, returning home different not the same girl she was when she left home. She had different interests, new approaches to the treatment of insane. Diox took a job teaching inmates in an East Cambridge prison, where the conditions were so abysmal and the treatment for prisoners so inhumane, that she began agitating at once their improvement. Prisoners at that time were unregulated and unhygienic, with violent criminals housed side by side with mental illness. Diox later on she began to visit every public and

"There are few cases in history where a social movement of such proportions can be attributed to the work of a single individual" (Kovach) At the age of thirty-nine, a woman by the name of Dorothea Dix devoted the rest of her life as an advocate to the humane attitude toward the mentally ill. She traveled the world from state to state visiting each and every prison, almhouse, asylum, orphanage, and hidden hovel documenting everything and anything she saw. After her intricate study of what she had been a witness of she wrote a letter or "memorial" and presented it to a legislator she knew who would present it to each legislature in each state she had studied. Dorothea Dix was the pioneering force in the movement to reform the

Dorothea Lynde Dix is a famous woman in history that has been commemorated for her many helpful contributions to the world. Throughout her life span, she singlehandedly bestowed her assistance to individuals, states, and even full countries. She is known for many small, well-rounded triumphs but when summed up, all equate to a large portion of kind, beneficial deeds and charitable works. Dorothea Dix left an impact on the world through her efforts of sharing her teachings with others, the treatment and care of the mentally ill, and with her nursing in the Union army.

One of her most important achievements was introducing school medical services and school meals. She did this because she believed that children could not learn of they were hungry or sick.

paved the way for religious freedom. She was a great leader in the cause for

Dorothea Dix was a woman who stood for the treatment and housing conditions of prisoners and the mentally ill.She observed and documented what she had seen and experienced. Her documentation changed her audiences minds and started the reform.

She later got caught and was later put into prison in 1864 by confederate troops and taken into prison. Along with Mary Edward walker, Clara Barton, was an Army nurse. Clara was to serve help in curing injured men. She had a bad experience when she went to go cure a man, a bullet that killed the man she was helping was peireced threw her sleeve. She had been assisting him and tried to save him, but it was too late and he had died. Also these women made a legacy in life, Underground Railroad, being the first US army women surgeon, and the foundation of the American Red Cross. Mary Todd Lincoln, who was married to Abraham Lincoln. Although she was a lot different then the other important women in the civil war, she was just as important. She was the wife of the president during the war. Although she did not exactly fight or become a nurse of the war, she still had to take care of her family and all of Abraham’s stressful days. She had to mend to her children’s needs while Abraham was out making sure the troops in the war were in the right standings. When 1865 came around it was a terrible year for her, her family and her heart were crushed. Her loved one was assassinated, and her family and herself had no idea how to handle it. Being that she was the presidents wife, she was still important to make a legacy. Showed that women are strong enough to handle stress, children, and deaths in their family to be strong for

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was a woman who tremendously impacted the American Society during her lifetime. Barton was a working nurse born in Massachusetts who later on moved to Washington, DC. She started a relief organization during the Civil War (Ackermann). She followed the Army for three years and for diligently to located men who were M.I.A during the Civil War (Ackermann). Furthermore, Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 (Ackermann). Clara Barton was indeed a woman of great influence whose impacted American society beyond her lifetime.

Dorothea Lynde Dix was salient to the development of both the Reform and Civil War Eras that she lived during, and to the overall United States. Moreover, Dorothea Dix had minor, but crucial, contributions to the education of children during her early years, which would help her effort in creating different perspective and establishing institutions for the mentally ill. Her onerous efforts even required her to plead to the State Legislative body, which was essential in achieving her goals for the mentally ill. In addition, Dix contributed to the Civil War when she was appointed superintendent of nurses for the Union army. Dix’s action would leave a permanent mark to the character of the United States when she helped form institutions for the mentally ill and wrote the “Bill of the Benefit of the Indigent Insane.”

Clara Barton did many things, but did not accept disrespect from anyone She whipped a boy when a girl overpowering a guy was considered improper for a girl to be bossy to a guy. Barton showed how women could have power and that made her a benefit to society by helping the men and women become equal. “In 1851, she applied and was accepted to the Clinton Liberal Institute in upstate New York, one of the few colleges that accepted female students” (Crompton “Early Life”). Clara Barton was accepted into one college when there were only about twenty colleges that allowed girls. Today because Clara Barton went to college helps many girls have the urge to go to college and further their education.

According Hodes in “White Women, Black Men, and Adultery in the Antebellum South,” the relationship between white women and black men becomes a source of gossip. Dorothea has a mixed race child with her cheat lovers called Edmond. Her husband, Lewis, responsible for any financial needed for that child, and try to get divorce from her. However, the court decide that Lewis at the fault. Dorothea lives also miserable as the society does not accept her child, husband, and even herself. She becomes the source of gossip and she also get abuse by Lewis and Edmond. This miserable does not just end in her married life, but this also will haunted her after she divorce and leave the black man.

Lillian Wald was a pioneer for the nursing profession as well as an advocate for many unrecognized populations in the United States. Wald was passionate about people, especially the poor and overlooked (A+E, para.2). While working with the underprivileged she concluded that she could be doing more. During her nursing career she established many programs and reformed society in countless ways. Wald is mostly recognized for her pioneering in public health nursing, but she impacted nursing as a whole in a way that changed the profession forever.