Packard, Elizabeth - Civil Rights Advocate

The improbable story of Elizabeth Packard, which she had to publish herself in 1868, led to changes in the law which helped other American women.  Image online, courtesy Archive.org.

...the most sensible people
on earth
are exposed to suffer
a life-long imprisonment,
from the folly
of some undeveloped, misguided person.

Elizabeth Packard
The Prisoners' Hidden Life (1868)

Susan B. Anthony once said women in America would never be truly free until women could vote. Her point was pretty simple. When people vote, they have the power to elect representatives who make the laws.

People who make laws listen to their constituents. If a lawmaker has no female constituents, why would he care what women think?

The story of Elizabeth Packard illustrates Susan Anthony's point.

Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.

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Original Release Date:  June, 2000
Completely Revised:  February, 2012