USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Dix successfully lobbied state governments to build and pay for mental asylums, and her efforts led to a bill enlarging the state mental institution in Worcester. She then moved to Rhode Island and later to New York to continue her work on prison and mental health reform.

Detailed explanation-2: -Dorothea Dix played an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill. She was a leading figure in those national and international movements that challenged the idea that people with mental disturbances could not be cured or helped.

Detailed explanation-3: -She believed African-Americans were inferior to whites, and found the New England abolition movement to be tedious. She supported the American Colonization Society, which wanted to send slaves to Africa.

Detailed explanation-4: -She championed causes for both the mentally ill and indigenous populations. By doing this work, she openly challenged 19th century notions of reform and illness. Additionally, Dix helped recruit nurses for the Union army during the Civil War.