Dorothea Dix: A Force for Social Reform

There is a lot of talk today about the rights of the mentally ill. In the past, however, the mentally ill were mistreated, and typically warehoused to keep them away from civilized society. Like the mentally ill, prisoners of the past were subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment. Social activists like Dorothea Dix made a difference in many of these lives, through her tireless efforts to improve conditions in the prisons and insane asylums of the world.

Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden, Maine on April 4, 1802, to Joseph and Mary Bigelow Dix. In her early life she experienced extreme hardship-poverty, alcoholism of her father, and the mental illness of her mother. Dorothea spent much of her early life caring for her younger brothers.

One of the advantages her parents did provide to Dorothea was teaching her how to read and write. She was then able to pass this skill along to her younger siblings. This was the beginning of Dorothea's passion for teaching.

Though her parents were very poor and the family moved around a lot, Dorothea's paternal grandparents were very wealthy. At the age of twelve, Dorothea and her younger siblings moved to the paternal residence, Dix Mansion. But due to the age of her grandmother, caring for the younger children was still Dorothea's responsibility. Because of her grandmother's wealth and status, Dorothea was expected to become a "young lady" and learn to behave accordingly. It was in furtherance of this goal, that Dorothea was shipped off to live with her great aunt, Mrs. Duncan.

While with her Aunt Duncan, Dorothea got to know her second cousin, Edward Bangs, who was an attorney. He encouraged Dorothea to open a "little dame" school. A "little dame" school was for young girls, who were not allowed at that time to attend public school. Girls could be taught by women in private "schools". At the age of 15, Dorothea opened her own school and began teaching.

Dorothea later opened a school at Dix Mansion in Boston, where she had one classroom for poor girls and a second classroom for wealthy girls. Dorothea also began writing children's books. However, in 1830 Dorothea became quite ill with tuberculosis. She went away to St. Croix to recuperate, acting as a tutor for the children of a family friend, Dr. Channing.

Once she recovered, Dorothea returned to her school and to care for her ailing grandmother. She did this until her health forced her to once again leave Massachusetts. This time she traveled to England and stayed with friends. During this sabbatical, she got to know Elizabeth Fryer and Samuel Tuke, who were concerned with prison reform and care of the insane.

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