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Parent's Marriage
Dorothea Dix's parents, Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow, get married. Dorothea dix's parents had an unhealthy marriage. Her father was abusive and her mother suffered from many diseases including depression. Growing up, Dix was abused by her alcoholic father, although he did teach her how to read and write. -
Parent's Marriage: Effect
Although their marriage wasn't successful, Dorothea was one of the few women who learned how to read and write. This was oneof the reasons that made her want to become a teacher. Her parent's marriage also resulted her to be afraid of being married because of the way they treated her.
This shaped Dorothea to be an independent, strong woman who doesn't need anyone to depend on but herself. -
Birth
Dorothea Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Her parents were Joseph Dix and Mary (Bigelow) Dix. -
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Forming a School: Effect
This also shaped Dorothea to be a person who didn't someone to depend on and make helping others her number one priority. -
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Troubles With Forming a School
Dix formed a small private school for girls with the help of her second cousin, Edward Bang. At age fourteen, she taught girls between ages six to eight. After Dorothea turned eighteen, Edward, who was 31, proposed to her. Because of her parent’s marriage, she thought marriage was the desertion of children, having emotional outbreaks, fighting and drinking heavily. Scared, she fled to Boston, shutting down the school. She realized that the school was more important so she gave him the ring back. -
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More Schools
Dorothea Dix started an academy for wealthy young ladies in her mother’s home. She also started a school for poor children. -
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Illness
Dorothea suffered from attacks of chronic lung disease, now tuberculosis. She stayed in England and wrote childrens' books. -
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Back at the US
After her grandmother died, Dorothea moved back to the US. But, she still wasn't well enough to continue teaching, so she had o keep resting. -
Turning Point
Dorothea Dix visited the Cambridge, Massachusetts jail after teaching her class and found "dungeon cells" where people were thought to be insane were kept. Men, women, and children, were only half dressed, underfed, and were chained to the walls with only the filthy floors to call a bed. Dix was astounded by this and took the case to court. She won. -
Turning Point: Effect
This effected Dix because she now had a new goal; to rescue the poorly treated ill. She was a teacher so it makes sense that she wanted to nurse the mentally ill back to health by teaching them. -
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Her Plan
After seeing the poorly treated mentally ill, Dorothea conjured a plan to help them; she presented that a federal land-grant of 12,500,000 acres be put aside as a public benefit where she would nurse the patients. The Senate and House of Representative both approved her idea, but President Franklin Peirce vetoed the bill. -
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Her Plan: Effect
This affected Dorothea because it lead to her wanting to help the mentally ill even more. But, because her bill was vetoed, she was reluctant to try something else to try and help the patients for a while. Discouraged that her plan wasn't approved, Dorothea traveled to Europe to rest. -
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Dorothea Dix Hospital
The Dorothea Dix Hospital was opened in 1850 in Raleigh, North Carolina. -
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Helping Europe
Dorothea traveled in 14 different countries and stimulated many changes. (In Rome, Dix reported the awful conditions of the hospitals and the Pope undertook a series of improvments) -
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Helping Europe: Effect
Spending time helping hospitals outside of the US built up Dix's confidence since she was discouraged after her previous plan hadn't succeeded. -
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Back in the US
After time in Europe, Dix continued her reform work in the US, but the country was torn over slavery. -
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Dix in the Civil War
Dorothea served as a nurse during the Civil War. She did tasks like organize first aid stations, recruit nurses, purchase supplies was even appointed Superintendent of Union Nurses. Not only did she tend the Union Soldiers, but also the Confederates. -
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Civil War
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Helping After the Civil War
After the Civil War, Dix helped trace missing soldiers, wrote letters to families to tell them their son's status, and helped soldiers secure their payments. -
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Helping After the Civil War:Effect
This reflected Dorothea's personality perfectly; she is always trying to help others and is overall a very selfless person. -
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Helping Japan
Dorothea Dix persuaded Japan to build a hospital after seeing the mentally ill there. After some time of convincing, Japan built a hospital in 1875 -
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Retiring
After taking one last tour threw New England and New York, Dorothea Dix finally retired at the age of 79 in Trenton, New Jersey. She stayed that the New Jersey state Hospital, the first hosptial she infulenced. -
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Retiring: Effect
Dorothea Dix finally decided to retire because she felt that she had done her purpose. She had done all that she could to help the mentally ill and now that she had tended them, she could rest. -
Death
On July 17, 1887, Dorothea Dix passed away in the New Jersey Hospital. Her epitah was "She was the most useful and distinguished woman America has yet produced."
