Elizabeth Packard (1816-1897)
Elizabeth Packard was a social reformer who was inspired by her negative experiences being involuntarily committed to an "insane asylum".
Elizabeth married Theophilus Packard, a minister, on May 21, 1839. They had six children together and resided in Kankakee, Illinois. Minister Theophilus Packard held strict religious views and had high standards. Although Elizabeth was religious, she had began to question some of her husband's teachings. She then started to speak up at church about her opinions, eventually announcing in the middle of a service that she was going to go across the street to worship with the Methodists. Her husband then stated that she was insane and had her involuntarily committed to the Jacksonville Insane Asylum.
Yes, this was 100% legal! In 1851, state legislature stated passed a law that required a hearing before a person could be involuntarily commited to a mental hospital. There was only one exception... a husband could have his wife committed both without her consent and without a hearing.
While at the asylum, she became pretty close with many of the staff, even getting a set of keys for herself to handle duties on the ward. She constantly wrote down notes about the conditions she was living in, which would later assist her in writing books. When her oldest son turned 21, he was legally allowed to get her out of the asylum. She tried her best to stay, as she was still working on her notes and was afraid that her husband would lock her up elsewhere.
When she returned home, it was apparent that her husband had placed locks on everything imaginable so that she would have to ask him for permission for everything. Elizabeth's husband ended up locking her in the nursery for a month and a half. He nailed all of the windows shut while he searched for another asylum to send her. She was somehow able to throw a letter outside the window to a neighbor who was passing by, eventually leading to a jury trial between the married couple.
I will spare you all of the details about the Packard v. Packard trial, however, I will say that the jury reached it's final verdict within 7 minutes.
Packard devoted the rest of her life to social reform, traveling around the world and calling for legislative changes in mental health. Elizabeth founded the Anti-Insane Asylum Society and published several books in the following years. Due to her persistent efforts and courage, 34 bills were passed in various state legislatures. She also influenced the formation of The National Society for the Protection of the Insane and the Prevention of Insanity in 1880.
Source:
https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2013/01/elizabeth-packard.html
This reproduction is shared for non-commercial, educational, and historical purposes. All rights, if any, remain with the original rights holder.