Tiffany Jiang
Dorothea Dix
What criticism of American society did the individual have?
They criticized the fact that Dorothea had no authoritative experience, and was not worthy to direct a volunteer corps for nurses. They also reprimanded the fact that she wanted to set aside funds for the insane- they saw the act to be wasteful and ludicrous.
What methods did the person use to improve American life?
Dorothea appealed to the local court, as well as the government, in order to try to garner more rights for the mentally insane. She also published papers to try to raise public awareness- most of her methods were relatively peaceful.
What success did the individual have in promoting reform?
Relatively successful, when she sent forth her findings to the state legislature, funds were approved for the Worcester State Lunatic Hospital- she continued to employ this same technique and was successful in Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She was extremely close to getting Congress to set aside millions of acres of public land in trust and devote the income to help those with mental illnesses- although both houses of Congress would have passed it, President Franklin Pierce vetoed it.
What details of the person’s work made him or her a noteworthy historical figure?
She made enormous reforms towards rights for the mentally ill, and established institutions in numerous states, even in the Midwest and the South. Her efforts were noticed by the public, and reformers in other areas sought her help. She advanced prison reform and sanitary conditions in jails.
To what extent was the reformer obsessed with achieving an impractical goal through fanatical or impractical means?
Dorothea had relatively practical goals, nothing too flamboyant. She did try to get Congress to set aside millions of acres of public land in trust, far surpassing the institutions that she started up, but on a overall view, her goals, though noteworthy, were quite achievable.
What lasting impact did the person’s reforms have on American society?
Dorothea made a lasting impact on female nursing, as well as reform on the education of prisoners and the separation of various types of offenders, as well as the quality of life in jails and the mentally ill.
MLA Citation
"Dorothea Dix."American History.ABC-CLIO,2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.