February 7: The asylum movement
Read:
1) Freeberg, The Education of Laura Bridgman, introduction and ch. 1-2 (pp. 1-48)
2) Excerpt from Dorothea Dix, Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts, January 1, 1843 (Blackboard)
3) Samuel Gridley Howe, “A Selection from Report Made to the Legislature of Massachusetts Upon Idiocy (1848)” from Mental Retardation in America, pp. 23-26 (Blackboard)
Please answer one of the following questions:
1) Drawing on Freeberg and at least one of the primary source readings (Dix and Howe), how would you characterize the goals of asylum founders such as Samuel Gridley Howe and Dorothea Dix? How did asylum founders view of people with cognitive and psychological disabilities or those who were blind or deaf?
2) Alternatively, you can summarize in several sentences (or possibly a short paragraph each) your “muddiest point” for both readings. Muddiest points should engage with major themes in the readings. If your muddiest point focuses on what might seem to be a minor point, explain why it is a key issue for this topic in disability history.
Howe and Dix seem to have had similar goals in wanting to create asylums. They both wanted to get mentally disabled people out of the depraved conditions that they were living in and into the hands of competent caretakers who knew how to treat them kindly. Howe took it a step further with wanting to educate them. He believed with the right care and teaching people with mental or severe sensory disabilities could at the very least learn a reputable skill even if they did not progress enough to be able to eventually support themselves.
Based on the Howe readings, Howe seems to have viewed people with severe mental and sensory disabilities not only as people to be helped but also as academic and philosophical opportunities. He cared, but he also wanted to scientifically determine the best way to make them as self-sufficient as possible, hence his eagerness to teach Laura Bridgman. The amount of care required would vary by individual and disability, but he did seem to believe that anyone with the right amount of proper care could become much less dependent on society.
In 1848, Samuel Gridley Howe made a report to the legislature of Massachusetts on idiocy in America. In this day and time, it would be called mental retardation. Mr. Howe felt that this class of person is always a burden upon the public of all towns in the state. He felt that these persons needed to be trained as they are in other countries. He thought they should be taught to work, to be clean, have self respect, and that the highest of them may be restored to self-control. He felt that the humanity and justice of the legislature would prompt them to make immediate measures for the formation of a school or schools for the instruction and training of “idiots”.
Dorothea Dix seems to care a great deal about the physical condition of people with disabilities. For many years people with intellectual disabilities had been confined in almshouses and prisons. These institutions were often dirty and the inhabitants often were deprived of decent clothing. Dix says that state is to blame for these conditions and has a moral responsibility to put an end to them. This stance in my opinion is excellent example of the social model.
In contrast, according to Freberg, Samuel Gridley Howe saw people like Laura Bridgman as scientific curiosities. Because he was a doctor, I believe that Howe’s approach to improving Bridgman’s quality of life is much more in line with the medical model of disability. All of his efforts seem to be aimed at curing Bridgman’s disability, which Howe refers to as “‘ the great obstacle”‘ (qtd in Freberg chapter 3). Also Howe soon realized that a success story like Bridgman’s could be used to peak the public’s curiosity and show them that people with disabilities when educated were not so different from everyone else.
From the article, it would seem as though Dorthea Dix wanted to enable disabled persons and give them a chance at full recovery. Her claims against them being in jails and almshouses because they further disable them, causes me to believe that she thinks asylums will enable them and help them back into society.
I do believe that Howe’s intention was the same (he wanted their minds to be developed just as much as their hands and social interactions were), but I think that he thought this would bring him fame and fortune. While we have a third party view, it makes him seem like he is just doing this for all the glory it brings him.
Dorthea Dix and Samuel Gridley Howe both had a desire to do what was going to help others out the best. It wasn’t until going through tough times of their own that either founder worked for the asylum movements. Dorthea Dix taught a Sunday school in a jail. While here, she observed the bad treatment of those with psychiatric disabilities. For Howe, he went through harsh treatments of his own in school when he was younger. He also “felt that blind people suffered from a kind of social invisibility because they were so often confined in private homes” (Freeburg, 21). Thus, neither Dix nor Howe appreciated the way the disabled were being treated when they noticed it. Each were “motivated by humanitarian concerns” as well as “primarily inspired by worries about social “disorder”"(Freeburg, 21).
Dix and Howe went on to create institutions in order to end abuse for individuals with disabilities. Howe also teaches Laura Bridgman (who the story is about) how to understand language in her own unique way. Ultimately, all of this creates the field of special education.
In “The Education of Laura Bridgman,” Freeberg described Howe as having more of a science-minded curiosity. He believed more that asylum’s were more for a scientific purpose. His quest was set on fixing Laura’s disabilities but it was a lot harder than he thought. So he viewed people with disabilities, in my opinion, as a puzzle that just needed to be solved so they can be whole. The story of Laura did portray her as more of a human being that had disabilities but they didn’t slow her down.
In the article excerpt by Dorothea Dix, she seemed to have a great passion for improving the conditions of which people that had disabilities lived. At that time people would treat a disabled person like an animal or worse so she was trying to plead her case to improve the conditions of the asylums. She did seem to view the disabled people, in my opinion, with pity. She seemed to feel bad for them but that was because the conditions they were subjected to and the way they were treated was atrocious.
All together, the asylum founders seemed to view people with psychological/cognitive disabilities way different than those that were blind or deaf. If one was blind or deaf they could still be educated but those with more mental disabilities couldn’t.
It appears to me from the readings that the goals of asylums were created to help those individuals that could no longer help themselves or who have become too big of a burden to their family or community. Founders, such as Samuel Gridley Howe, conclude that the mentally ill devour resources of the community. Howe and Freeberg both allude to the fact that mentally ill individuals, if given the chance to become productive members of society by learning in an institution, would be less of a burden to their community. Furthermore, while the masses would often agree with institutionalizing the blind or mentally ill due to their disdain for them, Freeberg wrote of Howe’s endeavor into creating endowments and raising support to build facilities simply out of a desire to assist those with special needs. In Howe’s writings, we learn of how he used his influence to appeal the State of Massachusetts for equal rights of accessibility to education for all individuals regardless of their IQ or disabilities.
I can’t help but think of rehabilitation when I reflect on the readings for this week. In the readings we see examples of people through acts of kindness, or sympathy, or pity, take measures in creating an environment dedicated to the ultimate improvement of its occupants. The scientific process involving observations and experiments in the name of righteous cause can be seen in the case of Laura Bridgman. I agree with Christopher’s observation on the practice of the medical model in the attempts that are made in these readings of rehabilitating those forgotten and mistreated by society.
Dix draws on the emotions of how the people in the asylums were being treated, and further extends her case to the Massachusetts legislature of how practical it would be to educate and clean up the “idiots” and teach them how to live productive lives. I would have to characterize her goal in that she was trying to stop and prevent the harsh treatment of the people in asylums, as well as educating and teaching them to be more productive.
While Dix’s approach was geared more towards humanitarian, Howe’s approach appeared more scientific. In the text how believed he could teach many of the “idiots” how to be more independent and less “helpless”. One could also derive from the text that Howe cared for the so called insane because he claims that helping the “idiots” should be more than “charity’ and that it is societies obligation.
I believe that both Dix and Howe saw potential in helping the blind and def, especially after experiencing Laura Bridgman’s great success in learning. Freeberg states that Bridgman was “an example of the innate potential of all children” (Freeberg, p. 3).
Dorothea Dix used very graphic and moving language to drive her point home. She had witnessed the horrific and inhumane living conditions that people with disabilities endured. She said, “I proceed, gentlemen,…insane persons confined…in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience.” Dorothea’s goal was to ignite passion for humane treatment of people with mental disabilities. She was also against the idea of prisons hosting people with disabilities- Sadly this trend remains as some Americans with psychiatric disabilities can be found in prisons. Dorothea gave an example of Sandisfield to prove how humane treatment could transform lives for disabled.
Like Dorothea Dix, Samuel Howe’s goal was to alleviate the plight of the disabled through advocating for funds and training (of the disabled). However his choice of language impeded his campaign when he said, “… [M]ost of the idiots in our Commonwealth, unless absolutely caged up (as a few are), have, within their narrow range, some children who may mock them indeed, and tease them, but upon whom they in return inflict more serious lasting evil.” (P.g 24). Samuel argued that Massachusetts could transform disabled people like other countries did. He argued that inhumane treatment extinguish spark of intellect and send disable down to darkling grave. (P.g 25). I think it is such positive thinking that made Samuel Howe became a tool of transformation for Laura Bridgman at his Boston school for blind children. Laura triumphed in disability and achieved what most ordinary people could not in 1840s; writing
The two writers shared a great deal of similarity on people who are disabled. Howe shined light on how the society at that time was mistreating and in some ways discriminating against the poor and disabled. He supported the idea that everyone whether able or disabled should have equal rights, opportunities, education, and freedom and therefore should not be neglected. He also believed that they can be trained to a certain extent to live a normal life like every other citizen and pay their fair share to society.
Dix views were quite similar, she wanted the poor and disabled to be taken out of the horrible conditions that they were in to a more livable and hygienic atmosphere. She also believed that they should be treated with care and respect just like everyone else.
It seems to be that the underlying theme of Freeburg and Howe, the real goal of the asylum, was to prove a philosophical and economic point. Specifically, the goal of the asylum was to prove that the philosophy drawing on Locke at the time was erroneous, and that economically those with such disabilities as blindness, deafness, and idiocy could be trained into valuable and useful members of the workforce.
In Freeburg, the author mentions several times and quotes Howe many times, stating that one of the real goals in the education of the blind and deaf, for Howe at least, was to insist that Locke’s tabula rasa philosophy had been twisted so that it was no longer correct. Additionally, in Howe’s Report to the Legislature, the point trying to be made is that idiocy may be overcome such that a person afflicted with idiocy can support themselves if so taught.
How did asylum founders think and feel about people with disabilities? If the readings are anything to go by, then they all thought of the disabled as, “fixable.”
The goals that both Howe and Dix had was to help the people living in asylums. Dorothea Dix saw how these people were being treated and she felt that they should not be treated like this. For Samuel Howe he also wanted to help especially after going to Europe and seeing how they helped people who were blind there. Asylum founders viewed people who were blind or deaf like other people. They believed that they could learn just like other people. For Howe he believed that as long as the blind people were intelligent they could all be helped to find their talents and end up holding jobs like everyone else. He believed that each one had a special talent and that they could not be taught the same skill.
Dix in her plea to the legislatures had a goal of seeking better care for the “idiots” and “insane”. Under #7 she said that the caregivers of the disabled were lacking in training to take care of the disabled. She is also fighting for reform to free the disabled from cruel and savage living conditions. She didn’t feel that this class of people deserved to live in prisons or almshouses. However, I didn’t get the sense when reading her article that she felt they could ever become independent. Whereas, in Freeberg’s book, he makes the point that Howe had hopes of ridding the blind of the “humiliation of dependence” (ebook Ch. 1). He felt like by focusing on their abilities and talents and considering the job possibilities for their stations in life, they could reach a level of autonomy. However, like Glennda, I wondered at what his motivation was. He really seemed to like having fame.
In “A Selection from Report Made to the Legislature of Massachusetts,” Samuel Gridley Howe makes a case to educate people he refers to as “idiots.” He claims that these people are a drain on the local economy and morally corrupt. He states, ” what virtuous parent could endure the thought of a beloved child living within the influence of an idiotic man or woman who knows none of the laws of conscience, morality, and requirements of decency.” He also claims that it is the moral responsibly and duty of the state to educate the less fortunate. In the report he outlines the further benefits to the state for establishing a school and urges the legislature have immediate action.
In chapters 1 and 2 we learn of the efforts of Samuel Gridley Howe to educate a blind and deaf child, Laura Bridgeman. Dr. Howe was a war hero and Harvard medical graduate and social reformist. He began his efforts by trying to find a way to educate the blind. He believed that as soon as blind people were treated as individuals with distinctive talents, they could take their place as equal participants in society. Howe then heard of and began working with Laura at The Perkins School with an early form of sign language. Laura’s acquisition of a form of communication became his evidence for establishing schools to teach the blind and deaf.
The readings display a willingness on the part of early asylum founders like Howe to teach those with disabilities . While the efforts might have been self serving, they were important.
Samuel Grindley Howe seems to oscillate between humanitarian reformer, scientist, and salesman. Freeberg portrays a man who intently and genuinely cared improving the lives of the impaired through the use of educational asylums. His motivations, according to the author, center on his religious beliefs and, more importantly, Enlightenment ideology coming out of Scotland concerning epistemology, empiricism, and the foundations of intellect. Finally, she portrays the Howe who constantly sought financial assistance for his endeavors through public exhibitions of his blind pupils or, in the case of the primary source document, inflammatory rhetoric about the dangers posed to society by the mentally impaired. Thus, Howe is particularly hard to characterize given his dynamic attitudes.
The most interesting dichotomy in the readings arise from Freeberg’s portrayal of Howe’s efforts to raise money for the asylum for the blind and his efforts to finance an idiot asylum in Massachusetts. Freeberg portrays a kind educator, who diligently and benevolently worked toward the enlightenment of his pupils. The primary source document, on the other hand, shows a man with either a very low opinion of idiocy, or rather one who proved willing to use the biases of society to his own (perhaps benevolent) ends. Perhaps this stems from his exposure to Enlightenment ideology that placed primary importance on the functioning intellect which he could find in the blind and perhaps not in the cognitively impaired. Nonetheless, whether motivated by humanitarian impulse, scientific inquiry, or economic considerations, Howe still viewed disabilities as a social problem as is evident through his report concerning idiocy and to some extent his treatment of blindness as portrayed in Freeberg.
The goals of asylum founders came from various sources, but the ones most touched upon in the readings were related to religious and social reform ideals. The religious, in the Freeberg reading, can be related to popular religious fervor, as stricter Calvinism was abandoned for more progressively liberal ideas, such as Methodism and Unitarianism. While related to the religious ideals, an appeal to society can be seen in both Howe and Dix as they sought to portray those without disabilities as being the protectors of those persons who do have disabilities. The goal of Howe appears to be more utilitarian, especially in his report to the Massachusetts legislature, in aiming to provide vocational training at some level to persons with cognitive and psychological disabilities. The goal of Dix, in the reading about her, seemed to focus more on her efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities were not treated in overly cruel manners, and that properly run asylums could help ease the lives of those with these impairments. Howe, according to the Freeberg reading, had the desire to discover the full capabilities of those who were blind and deaf, but having a lower view of those with psychological disabilities, wanting to keep them off the streets. Howe and Dix shared a benevolent view of those with psychological impairments, in that they felt that it was the duty of the state to help care for such persons.
Dix artical showed just how mistreated individuals with disabilites where mistreated. It also highlighted the difference in their mental status based on the treatment that they where receiving. When these individuals where treated like an animals they often acted poorly and felt hopeless. Though Howe and Freeburg it showed that they both felt that these individuals where not respected with in the commuities and that if they where tought a trade they could actively take part in society. Asylums seem to have been created to not only eduate these individuals but also to protect them from mistreatment. The hope was that when ready they could be allowed to take an active role in society. However, if that time never came those individuals would always have a safe place to reside without feeling the pressures of society regarding their disabilites.
Samuel Gridley Howe’s experiment on Laura Bridgman had a curious mind for those who were disabled. However, he knew Laura would be a challenge because she was deaf and blind. The author describes Howe as an ambitious “humanitarian scientist” whom believed in creating asylums to help those who were disabled. I agree that a part of him wanted Laura for an experiment and for his own motivations. On the contrary, I also feel as if there was a humble part of him that had a need to help those who were disabled. The author mentions that part of his was to “attempt to vindicate ideas about human development, education, discipline.”
The most interesting thing about Howe’s and Bridgman’s relationship was how he had such an interest in her that he was worried about her welfare and treated her like his adopted daughter. Clearly this says that he had a stronger connection than other asylum founders would have had. Howe also supported and encouraged to help create “educational” asylums which I thought was incredible. This situation shows that Howe viewed everything more on the “social model” that we had discussed in class.
According to Freeberg, Samuel Gridley Howe was a man of determination. According to the text, he was “one of only a handful of Americans willing to risk his life for the cause”(Freeberg 7). Howe was determined to seek out the experiences of the blind and deaf and wanted to experiment with better teaching materials for the blind. After reading in the newspaper about Laura Bridgman,he was anxious to have her as a protege for himself. He wanted to also use science to “shed light on vexing problems of epistemology” to know how human knowledge was formed. (Freeberg 28). I would say Howe’s goals were of good intent,despite some saying that he was in it for the social reform.
Dorothea Dix wanted to find a solution for better treatment of the men and woman who were considered idiots. Her goal was to improve the criminal justice system set in place for these people. In her excerpt from Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts, January 1, 1843,her postion on what she saw on how these people were being treated,was to get better facilities where the deaf and blind could thrive. She felt their mental status was a direct cause of the abuse they received.
After reading both of the different articles I do feel as both Howe and Dix wanted the same similiar sort of outcome for those deemed idiots or insane. At this time in America people were largely and mostly grouped together and were weighed on a mild to moderate to severe case implementation as to where they would be placed and how they would be treated. Dix was very thorough in her case studies for example, when she went to see the woman in the cellar and then heard of her being taken home to a family, I think that inspired her to push her petition with even more concrete evidence that legislature should be more involved in how these people are treated.In Howe’s article he states at one point that the plea of ignorance could be used in excuse for the neglect and ill treatment of these persons but not anymore. He fights for those neglected in the name of humanity. I feel as if it was people such as Dix and Howe that made the beginning of better treatment possible