Dorothea Dix
"If I am cold, they are cold; if I am weary, they are distressed; if I am alone, they are abandoned." - Dorothea Dix
Dorothea L. Dix and the Establishment of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum Prior to the Industrial Revolution, traditional institutions like the family, church, and local communities were charged with the care of orphaned children, the elderly, the indigent, and the mentally ill. As the Revolution flourished it greatly evolved the economy, social structure, and political institutions of the cities of New Jersey into more complex urban societies. However, as it demanded labor these institutions were no longer available to these populations. Hence, formal public establishments were born out of society’s needs. There functions were “vital to the welfare of the American people” (Hermann, F.M., p.5, Dorothea L. Dix and the Politics of Institutional Reform). One of the most important establishments developed from the results of the Industrial Revolution were insane asylums. During the 19th century, Dorothea Lynde Dix crusaded for the social justice of the growing number of impoverished mentally ill across the nation. She campaigned for the proper care and institutional treatment for these often forgotten individuals of society. The purpose of this paper is to examine Dorothea L. Dix’s role in the establishment of New Jersey’s first insane asylum.
Dorothea L. Dix Dorothea Lynde Dix is perhaps one of the most influential social reformers of the nineteenth century. She lobbied for the proper and institutional care for the mentally ill. Her efforts provided the nation with the establishment and expansion of over 30 mental hospitals (Hermann, F.M., p., Dorothea L. Dix and the Politics of Institutional Reform). Dix was born in 1802 to John and Mary Dix, a poor couple living on the outskirts of Hempden, Massachusetts. John Dix was disowned by his wealthy family after marrying Mary Bigelow, an older and impoverished woman. He
Dorothea L. Dix and the Establishment of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum Prior to the Industrial Revolution, traditional institutions like the family, church, and local communities were charged with the care of orphaned children, the elderly, the indigent, and the mentally ill. As the Revolution flourished it greatly evolved the economy, social structure, and political institutions of the cities of New Jersey into more complex urban societies. However, as it demanded labor these institutions were no longer available to these populations. Hence, formal public establishments were born out of society’s needs. There functions were “vital to the welfare of the American people” (Hermann, F.M., p.5, Dorothea L. Dix and the Politics of Institutional Reform). One of the most important establishments developed from the results of the Industrial Revolution were insane asylums. During the 19th century, Dorothea Lynde Dix crusaded for the social justice of the growing number of impoverished mentally ill across the nation. She campaigned for the proper care and institutional treatment for these often forgotten individuals of society. The purpose of this paper is to examine Dorothea L. Dix’s role in the establishment of New Jersey’s first insane asylum.
Dorothea L. Dix Dorothea Lynde Dix is perhaps one of the most influential social reformers of the nineteenth century. She lobbied for the proper and institutional care for the mentally ill. Her efforts provided the nation with the establishment and expansion of over 30 mental hospitals (Hermann, F.M., p., Dorothea L. Dix and the Politics of Institutional Reform). Dix was born in 1802 to John and Mary Dix, a poor couple living on the outskirts of Hempden, Massachusetts. John Dix was disowned by his wealthy family after marrying Mary Bigelow, an older and impoverished woman. He