Dorothea Dix (1802-87), a social reformer, stood up for the rights of the forgotten and vulnerable.
Dix shows that it is possible to triumph over adversity. At 12 she left home to escape her abusive father. In her late teens she opened a school and also taught poor children in their homes. Despite having health problems Dix then became an advocate for the mentally ill, traveling across the United State demanding better conditions in asylums. Dix then served as Superintendent of Army Nurses for the Union during the Civil War.
+© Encyclopaedia Britannica | UIG Vi | Getty Images