Truth Cannot Be Silenced

by Fran Withrow 1.2022

Kate Moore, author of the absorbing “The Radium Girls,” has written another satisfying book about a little known feminist, and it is equally as compelling. “The Woman They Could Not Silence” tells the story of the courageous feminist Elizabeth Packard, and after reading this book, I think her name deserves to be better known.

In 1860, Packard started speaking her mind, disagreeing with her husband Theophilus, a pastor, about theological matters. She shared her views with other women and even left her husband’s church to join another one. Thus she unwittingly began her journey as an advocate for social reform. 

Packard’s husband committed her to an insane asylum—the Illinois State Hospital— as punishment for her views. This was completely legal, since at that time married women had no rights to speak of. Every scrap of clothing, every cent earned, all household goods, even her children belonged to her husband. And it was frighteningly easy to call a woman insane: if she was opinionated, passionate, or a non-conformist, one solution was to incarcerate her until her spirit was broken and she was submissive once again.

Packard was shocked that many women at the asylum were perfectly sane. She was also appalled at the cruelty, mistreatment, and squalid conditions she witnessed. She learned that those labeled insane have no voice. Who believes the words of a crazy person?

She fought back by writing a book.

Packard recorded her observations in secret, and when she was finally released, despite being besmirched relentlessly both by the hospital superintendent and her husband, published books and pamphlets documenting the injustice and maltreatment she observed in the asylum.

But Packard was not content to merely spread the word. She set out to change the legal system that ignored the voices of those labeled insane, allowed husbands to commit wives with ease, and permitted horrendous treatment of those with mental illness. For the remainder of her life, she championed women’s rights and the rights of those with mental disorders. 

Though this book weighs in at over 500 pages (including the author’s extensive bibliography), I finished it in two days. The chapters are short, and every single one ends with a little teaser that enticed me to keep reading.

Also included is an author interview, in which Moore describes how many men today continue to call women deranged as a way of silencing them. (Think Trump and Nancy Pelosi.) I nodded my head at this observation. “She’s crazy” is such an easy way to shut a woman up.

“The Woman They Could Not Silence” is the fascinating story of a woman who challenged the men in power in her bid for women’s equality and compassionate treatment of the mentally ill. Her creativity and resourcefulness were astonishing. She repeatedly dodged roadblocks, always finding a way to accomplish her goals. While women today still continue the fight for equality, it is clear that Packard’s work led the way. Add her name to the list of other feminist giants who set out to change the world…and did.