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Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) //"﻿In a world where there is so much to be done, I feel strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do." // 

Dorothea Dix was born on April 4, 1802. Her full name is Dorothea Lynde Dix. She was a woman who grew up in Worecester, Massachusetts in a town of Hampden, Maine. Due to her alcoholic family and abusive father, she fled to her wealthy grandmother's home in Boston at the age of twelve. Dorothea was the first child of the three born to Mary Bigelow and Joseph Dix. Her father worked as an itinerant worker which was a person who travels from place to place. Later on in 1821, she opened a school in Boston which was patronized by well educated families. Afterwards, she began to educate the poor and neglected children at home. Unfourtunately, her health broke down but she occupied herself with writing books of devotion and stories for children. In 1831, she established a model school for girls and it was successful until 1836 when her health failed again. She hopes for a cure, so she traveled to England. There, she met the Rathbone family, who was of good fortune and invited her to their ancestral mansion which was the Greenbank. In 1846, Dix traveled to Illinois to tudy treatment of mental illness. Once again, she became ill and spent the winter of 1846 in Springfield. Dorothea Dix was one of the people in the founding of the first public mental hospital in Pennyslvania, and later established a library and a reading room. After six years of a lingering sickness, Dorothea died in Trenton, New Jersey.

Dorothea Dix had many qualities. She was very //**affectionate**// towards others. Even when she was ill, Dorothea occupied herself by writing books and stories for children. "//Conversation on Common Things//" was one of the books she wrote and it reached its sixtieth edition by 1869. About 1821, she opened a school in Boston which was patronized by the well-to-do families. In 1831, she established a model school in Boston for girls. After she returned to America, Dix conducted a statewide investigation of how her home state of Massachusetts cared for the insane poor. These are some examples of how Dorothea Dix was a very //**sympathetic**// woman. After her survey, she published the results in a fiery report called a "//Memorial//" to the state legislature. The outcome of her lobbying was a bill to expand the state's mental hospital. She also traveled everywhere. She was much like her father who traveled place to place. Dorotheas was not //**intimidated**// at all for traveling to so many places. She was actually //**defiant.**// Hence, Dix traveled from New Hampshire to Louisiana doing such things as: documenting the condition of pauper lunatics, publishing memorials to state legislatures, and devoting enormous personal energy to work with committees to draft the enabling legislation bills needed to build asylums. Asylums are the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country. During the Civil War, Dix was appointed Superintendent of Army Nurses. Some of her quallities that made her a //**successful**// crusader was //**independence**// and //**single-minded zeal**//.

Dorothea Dix had to face many obstacles. On her way to some places, she would always get sick and end up staying there for the winter or so. But obstacles in Dorothea's life didn't stop her. She hoped for a cure so she traveled to England. If she got better she would continue her journey. Dorothea was a very durable and influential woman. She would do her best to achieve her goals even if there are some difficulties in life. She never gave up and always continued her work. In 1881, Dix moved into the New Jersey State Hospital where the state legislature designated a suite for her private use as long as she lived. Although it was an invalid, she still managed to correspond with people from England to Japan. Dorothea Dix died on July 17, 1887 and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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