Idiocy in Virginia, 1616-1860

Like the English, Virginians tended to think that idiocy, a condition analogous to intellectual disability in the twenty-first century, was congenital, untreatable, and incurable, and they adopted legal remedies that corresponded closely to the laws of England. In addition, concepts of idiocy reflected some of the unique aspects of Virginia's social system, which was dominated by a coterie of powerful men. With a need to preserve social order and maintain decorum, the Virginia legislature established in 1769 the Eastern State Hospital to house unruly and objectionable people who were mentally disabled. Although idiots were among the hospital's first patients, they were eventually banished due to their presumed failure to respond to treatment. The social stigma attached to idiocy extended from Virginia's city streets and jails to the private homes of prominent families. Personal reticence regarding shameful family matters hid the identity of people thought to be intellectually disabled. Even Thomas Jefferson, a prolific author, entered only cryptic notes about the limitations of his sister, Elizabeth. In summary, Virginians' response to idiocy suggests a two-tiered approach: public disclosure and disdain of poor and dependent people with intellectual disabilities, and silent avoidance of the problem in prominent families. In both situations, idiocy represented images of shame and humiliation that threatened the social order.