Dorothea was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Although her father was abusive, he taught her how to read and write which influenced her love of education. After moving from home to live with her grandmother, she started her own school in 1821. Dix was a strong advocate for women’s rights to education; her 1824 book Conversations on Common Things; or, Guide to Knowledge: With Questions reflecting her belief that men and women should have equal education opportunities, this book and others written by her were very popular. In 1831 she opened another school, but due to a mixture of her ill health and possible depression, she ended her teaching career in 1836. Later that year she stayed with William Rathbone, an English politician
