Skip to main content
Thumbnail for The woman they could not silence : Elizabeth Packard's incredible fight for freedom, and the men who tried to make her disappear

The woman they could not silence : Elizabeth Packard's incredible fight for freedom, and the men who tried to make her disappear

Moore, Kate (Writer and editor)2021
Books
Elizabeth Packard was an ordinary Victorian housewife and mother of six. That was, until the first Woman's Rights Convention in 1848, which inspired Elizabeth and many other women to dream of greater freedoms. She began voicing her opinions on politics and religion -- opinions that her husband did not share. Incensed and deeply threatened by her growing independence, he had her declared 'slightly insane' and committed to an asylum. Inside the Illinois State Hospital, Elizabeth found many other perfectly lucid women who, like her, had been betrayed by their husbands and incarcerated for daring to have a voice. But just because you are sane, doesn't mean that you can escape a madhouse... Fighting the stigma of her gender and her supposed madness, Elizabeth embarked on a ceaseless quest for justice. Not only did she challenge the medical science of the day and save untold others from suffering the same fate -- her efforts ultimately led to a giant leap forward in human rights all around the world.
View my active saved list
0 items in my active saved list