Dorothea Dix Impact On American Identity

The American Identity
Activists such as Betty Friedan, Harvey Milk, Dorothea Dix, have shown throughout history the defiance in America. The defiance and perseverance in the behavior of the people has given America the title of being “the land of the free.” Defiance and perseverance are the main characteristics of the American Identity; activist are continuing to achieve making this country how it will one day be free for every individual.
One of the many activists throughout history that have made an impact on the American Identity is Betty Friedan. Betty Friedan was a feminist, author, and a mother. She graduated from Smith College in 1942, after experiencing a normal childhood. Friedan published the book The Feminine Mystique in 1963;

Dorothea Dix was a mental illness activist and a teacher. She was born April 4, 1802 and began teaching school at age fourteen (Dorothea Dix Biography). In 1841 she began teaching Sunday school at the East Cambridge Jail and went to court after seeing the awful treatment prisoners and the mentally ill were subjected to. She demanded for immediate changes. After seeing the conditions of the East Cambridge Jail, she started travelling to other jails to begin writing a paper that was shown to the Massachusetts Legislature (Ashby). She researched the surroundings and care of the prisoners, and then began humane asylums for the mentally ill and improving or founding hospitals in Rhode Island. Not only did she do this in Rhode Island, but New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Maryland, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina (Dorothea Dix

Harvey Milk was born on May 22, 1930; he was a public school teacher, production associate for several high-profile Broadway musicals, stock analyst and Wall Street investment banker. He graduated from New York State College for Teachers in 1951, and later moved to San Francisco, California, putting himself and his work in the center of the city’s gay community. During the beginning of his life he was quiet of his personal life until the end of his time in New York in 1972, when he assisted many gay radicals. While in San Francisco he became increasingly popular, finding himself as a leader and activist. In 1977, after attempting to have a position and failing a few times, Harvey Milk won a seat on the San Francisco City-County Board. He was one of the first openly gay officials to be elected into office in the United States. While in office Harvey had abolished the city’s anti-sodomy law, but then Dan White, the former Supervisor of Moscone, who had also been a police officer, Vietnam veteran, and fireman shot Milk after shooting and also killing the mayor after he refused to give him his job back (Harvey Milk