When Dorothea Dix began her lifelong campaign to improve conditions for the mentally ill, she traveled throughout Massachusetts, personally visiting every jail and poorhouse in the state. 1843, she published the results in a Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts. With the help of influential men who shared her views, Dix used this graphic and powerful document to shame lawmakers into appropriating more money for the care of the insane. After her success in Massachusetts, she followed the same strategy in many other states.