Imagine being trapped in a damp, dark, cage as a form of punishment for something that seems completely out of your grasp. Prisons were understaffed and as barbaric as it gets the people charged with crimes were whipped. The primary cause for their creation was to keep the crooks from harming any people right? Everyone in solitary confinement is treated the same way but not everyone came for the same reason. In fact, mentally ill people were considered to be harsh maniacs which did not receive treatment for a long time. Dorothea Dix spoke to the massachusetts legislature, in 1843 she absolutely despised the “Present state of insane person's confined within this commonwealth in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, and pens!” (Document D) Her efforts …show more content…
The asylum movement she basically created came from the Second Great Awakening. If people were being moved by religion then why not provide help for the mentally ill. She agitated for improvement because the conditions in prison were absolutely unbearable. Dix expanded even to other countries and modified the way we view ourselves as a society. Women were undermined but she managed to put that aside and promote big changes despite the fact that men mainly had a say in political …show more content…
This was another hit in the ballpark for women after putting a reform in the way she should dress. They argued that “She is as fully entitled as man to vote and to be eligible in office..she is entitled to a voice in fixing the amount of taxes” (Document F). Opportunities for women were mainly just nursing, domestic services, and teaching it was limited, with their increase in intelligence they deserved to have their voices heard. What the women strived for back then has helped our world today because both sexes can achieve whatever dream they want and work for it. Women can get the credit they deserve, speak out, and let their voices heard and in politics. If nobody spoke up America would not be what it is today and instead a place of disregard by men to the women that have literally made them. If they were to stay at home they would continue belonging to a “cult of domesticity”. This meant that men would undermine them as housewives. The social sphere transformed groundbreakingly by Antebellum America. My life goal to become the First Latina President of the United States might not have been possible if none of the pioneers had prompted change, and although women were unable to vote until 1920 the slow and steady progress proved to be worth it. Their voices would be heard through a single vote now the next issues we face are of course are politics, wage gaps,
In the documentary Solitary Nation, Adam (inmate in the Maine State Prison), was sent into an isolation cell after starting a riot. At first, he came out as a strong-minded man but it only took 25 days before his mental health started to diminish. Adam is one of the few inmates who wants to get better and fights for a chance to get his GED so he can have something good for when he is released. He finally gains the privilege to get out of his cell to study, but he starts a riot with the other prisoners (Edge et al). Adam is an example of how being isolated leads to not being able to function properly when given the opportunity to interact with other people.
Women’s rights and the way they live has changed greatly over the course of time. Back in the day, women did not have equal rights to men and they had to face many challenges in order to receive the jobs they wanted. Nowadays, women can get the same jobs as men and their power is much more appreciated. The 1930’s affected women in a positive way over time as they tried to work their way up in government positions, obtain more profitable jobs, and help provide for their families; but they still had a long ways to go getting equal rights to men.
As women, it was extremely hard to convey their messages to the public because of the lack of rights women had at that time. Their ability to face ridicule and adversity through tough issues makes them successful individuals. although they have not fixed issues entirely there is no denying that things wouldn 't be better if it wasn 't for their course of action. Ida B. Wells shed
During the 19th century Women still were not allowed to vote or be in politics. Women were an accessory to men; they were pretty and could produce children. They were there to do the cleaning around the house so the men didn’t have to. They weren’t something anyone appreciated. They weren’t “smart enough” to vote, or have anything to do with politics or government because they were women.
From 1841 to 1856 her crusades had highlighted the inequalities and the maltreatment of the mentally ill, changing the way people viewed mental health. Throughout her campaign she gained the support of many influential figures including Pope Pius IX and President Fillmore. At the beginning of her campaign in 1841, there had been only 13 mental asylums in the United States but towards the end of her life in 1881 there were 123, personally founding more than 30 of these, as well as numerous support groups. Dix used her position and influence by furthering the asylum movement. Though Dix successfully influenced the increase in hospitals for the mentally ill, injustices within the mentally ill sector would continue as highlighted in Source 8; which implies that though the number of asylums had increased and treatment had improved, inequalities amongst patients still remained.
During her speeches, she touched on something that was very controversial at that point; a woman’s massive role in the reform causes. Since women were seen as the moral center of the home, they imposed themselves in society as the moral integrity of the nation, thus finding work in the reform movements. The role that women played in the temperance movement caused light to be shed and the realization that female voters would be of more power on the war against alcohol. Even though women’s right to vote did not happen until the 1900’s, they did receive many legal advantages and proved their power from a religious and political state which gave women a new sense of pride and worth within the
Dorothea quickly realized the horrible treatment the prisoners received especially those with mental illness whose cells had no heat. She quickly went to court and soon assured to provide heat for the prisoners along with other improvements. Dorothea founded more than 30 hospitals for the mentally ill.(Bio.com.) She changed the idea that mentally ill people cannot be helped or cured to that with treatment their mental state will become normal. She also was a committed critic of cruel and neglectful practices toward the mentally ill such as caging, incarceration without clothing, physical and sexual abuse from their keepers, and painful physical restraint such as chains.(Biography
Women would take advantage of these opportunities and strive for greatness, not only to paint their own picture, but to build society into something enormous. “During WW1, women began to run family businesses, trained as nurses, planted gardens to feed their families and neighbors, worked in factories, and preformed many other duties to keep the country going” (Hossell, Karen P: The nineteenth Amendment Women Get the Vote , page 20). When men came back to see that women were running their jobs they were heated, they didn’t like this idea. Some of them saw that they can do what they did and they should be rewarded for helping the country stay on track. “By the end of the war more than 30,000 women had served their country were, in part, what convinced President Woodrow Wilson that women should be given the right to vote” (Hossell, Karen P: The Nineteenth Amendment Women Get the Vote, page 20).
In chapter 18, the author talked about how woman played a significant role in the progressive era. The biggest victory was the passage of the 19th amendment, enfranchising women and being the 27th country to allow women to vote. Women’s reform redefined the role of the federal government. Women worked to expand the scope of the federal government by overseeing issues such as wages, health working conditions, sanitation and social welfare. Eleanor Roosevelt was involved in the women’s movement when Franklin Roosevelt brought the women’s reform movement into the federal government for the first time.
At the end of her life, Dix became very ill and spent the last few years in that hospital. In 1887, Dorothea Dix passed away leaving a legacy. During her lifetime, Dorothea Dix made many changes for the mentally ill and how they were treated in North America as well as in Europe. She changed many policies in prisons, by showing that the mentally ill belonged in hospital institutions rather than cells. Dix opened eyes of people across the country to see the mentally ill were not incurable.
People often made decisions for women, instead of women thinking for themselves. This present day, women are treated more fairly. There is a wide range of jobs open to everyone, and some men might be the ones staying at home watching the kids. Yes, almost 8 decades later, women have a right to talk, and can follow their dreams, without being wrongfully treated for their
Women’s rights and the way they live has changed greatly over the course of time. Back in the day, women did not have equal rights to men and they had to face many challenges in order to receive the jobs they wanted. Nowadays, women can get the same jobs as men and their power is much more appreciated. The 1930’s affected women in a positive way over time as they tried to work their way up in government positions, obtain more profitable jobs, and help provide for their families; but they still had a long ways to go getting equal rights to men.
The Reform of mentally ill was led by Dorthea Dix, a teacher and activist for the treatment of
However, not only were popular reforms used, but also lesser known ones, as shown in George Ripley’s letter to Ralph Waldo Emerson that talks about his experimental community, Brook Farm, and reasons that the hard work necessary at his community allows for further internal though, leading to personal religious revelation(Doc 5). Furthermore, a somewhat smaller reform, the cause for rights for people in mental institutions and prisons which is demonstrated in Dorothea Dix’s “Remarks on Prisons and Prison Discipline in the United States” and she talks about how workers in the aforementioned practices should be of a high moral standard and have good Christian values(Doc 6). These traits would exponentially increase the standard of living in the hospitals/prisons. This was a very intelligent method, as it played on people’s pride, and it ended up working as conditions did end up improving from her efforts. While movements that were small did use this method often, it’s also seen in famous ones as well.
However, Dorothea Dix, a forerunner of her time, advocated for the mentally ill both in the US and Europe. She fought to change the way mental ill people were viewed and perceived and most importantly, the way they were treated. Although Dorothea Dix didn’t have a formal education in nursing, she saw the need to advocate and protect the rights of mentally insane individuals and those who could not fight for themselves. She became one of the most influential pioneers of modern nursing.