An Analysis Of Dorothea Dix As A Leader Of Asylum Reform

The nineteenth century was the era of reform. From politics to religion, it seemed like every aspect of nineteenth century American society was going through a rapid change of ideas and beliefs. One aspect of society in particular, the criminal justice system, had a series of specific reforms. These reforms ranged from the separation of prisoners; to the decrease of crimes punishable by death. Yet, there was no reform to aid in the improvement of the mentally insane in prisons. Unfortunately, it was not until 1841 that the mentally insane gained a champion, Dorothea Dix. The analysis of Dorothea Dix as a leader of asylum reform shows how women gained rhetorical experience, and how they effectively implemented it into their campaigns for reform. …show more content…
These campaigns allowed women to display their rhetorical skills. Women, like Dorothea Dix, found and honed their skills in a variety of ways. One way these women might have honed public speaking was through their passion for these causes. Dix for example found her passion when teaching Sunday school class in East Cambridge prison. Dix channeled her outrage of the inhumane treatment and turned it into passion, fueling her campaign for the separation of the mentally insane from regular prisoners.
Another way, women gained rhetorical skills was going out and gathering information. For instance, Dorothea knew to be effective in presenting her case to the government she was going to have to go into prisons and gather information herself. She traveled the Northeast going into prisons and examining the condition of inmates, and asking to speak to the most deprived souls. During these encounters with inmates, she realized that the mentally insane needed their own institution where they can try to become normal