Dorothea Dix was a dedicated teacher, activist, and ____ of the nineteenth century. She is best known for her efforts to improve the treatment of people with mental illnesses. Through her extraordinary determination and persistence, Dorothea Dix helped better the lives of less fortunate people around the world. EMERGING STRONG Dorothea Dix was born in 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Little is known about her early ____ but historians believe it was often difficult and plagued by poverty and neglect. At age 12, Dorothea Dix moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to live with her wealthy grandmother. She later moved in with her aunt in nearby Worcester, where she started teaching at a school for girls at the age of just 14. In 1821, when Dorothea Dix was still a teenager, she founded the first of many schools she would run over the next decade. One of the schools she started was free to attend, giving ____ girls the opportunity to learn at a time when educating women was rare. Dorothea Dix’s life of service to others had begun. Unfortunately, Dorothea Dix faced several bouts of ill health during her teaching years. When she could not work at her schools, though, she refused to be idle. She wrote several popular books, including an 1824 science textbook called Conversations on Common Things. Many of her books encouraged clear moral standards for young ____. At that time, there was little understanding of mental illness. It was often seen as something to be feared and forcibly controlled. People with psychological disorders were often locked away and severely ____ Though Dorothea Dix was not the first to recognize this problem, her work would transform treatment of this population and how people thought about mental illness. Though disappointed, Dorothea Dix wasn’t deterred. She continued her reform efforts at the state and international levels. She traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She even met with the pope! As a result of her continued advocacy, many places in the U.S. and beyond built brand-new ____ designed for the treatment of mentally ill patients. Others expanded and improved existing hospitals to elevate the level of care for the residents. Sixty years before women even had the right to vote in the United States, Dorothea Dix influenced changes in mental health care that ultimately improved understanding and treatment of people suffering from mental illness.

Informational Reading Comprehension: Biography of Dorothea Dix

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