Was Dorothea Dix an abolitionist

Answer 1

Dorothea Dix was personally not a huge fan of the anti-slavery movements occurring during the 'era of the Lyceum'. Since she traveled through all of the states to make reforms to mental institutions, she had to remain somewhat neutral, for if she was labeled as an abolitionist, the southern states would have refused to hear what she had to say--and the reform of mental institutions may have been hopeless in the south. When asked however, Dix would say she was more pro-slavery than anti-slavery. She made a comment of how she did not approve of Lincoln's Anti-slavery attitude. Dix found the black population fascinating, studying them for psychology, but did not feel very strongly towards either side of the argument. When she was a teacher, she did not see the need in discussing the morality of slavery with her students, she just accepted it as a natural way of life. The focus of her life and career will forever be the mentally ill, while she did not feel too strongly about the 'issue' of slavery.

Answer 2

Dorothea Dix was not an abolitionist. She was a social reformer who worked to improve conditions for the mentally ill and those in prison.