The Woman They Could Not Silence

I’ve long advocated for women’s rights and deeply respect feisty, determined women, so I was thrilled to learn about Elizabeth Packard.

In pre-Civil War America, men could have their wives committed to insane asylums merely for being too smart, too independent, too sassy, or defiant. Elizabeth was one such woman. She was much smarter than her pastor husband, and he had her committed when she publicly disagreed with his theological views.

After years of fighting the system, she was finally released and dedicated the rest of her life to getting legislation passed to save other women from this fate.

I recommend this book by Kate Moore as it gives a very personal account of what the asylum was like for a 19th-century housewife.

It is an excellent story of the strength and perseverance of Elizabeth Packard, who was forced into an insane asylum against her will. For simply being what many would consider bothersome or an inconvenience because she was an intelligent women, Elizabeth was sent to live in the asylum by the men in her life, including her husband.

I speak highly of Mrs. Packard in my book and reference the atrocities she had to face for simply… show more.

Did you know that a husband could commit his wife to an insane asylum, without a doctor’s diagnosis, in the late 1800s? Elizabeth Packard was one of them. Her courage and deep desire to help others and herself escape unfair and inhumane treatment in the Illinois State Hospital and the reality that a woman was often viewed as a servant is an insight into women’s ever-changing roles. Growing up as a baby-boomer and experiencing the hippie generation, I felt a tug in two directions—freedom to be who I was created to be and growing up under my mother’s mentorship where… show more.