Date of Award

8-7-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Dr. Marni Davis

Second Advisor

Dr. John McMillian

Abstract

Located in Milledgeville, Georgia, Central State Hospital once held the title of the World’s Largest Mental Asylum. At its height in the early 1960s, the institution reached a permanent population of over 12,000 people. This institution saw people from all social classes enter its doors. Through the observation of the closure of this asylum, the importance of both this location and Georgia’s role in mental healthcare provided a clear timeline for the evolution of treatment for mental health and disability today. Additionally, the effects of decentralization and after deinstitutionalization are most clear following the changes undergone at this asylum during the years during which Rosalynn Carter was politically active, both at the state and national levels. By constructing this timeline, the fallout of the deinstitutionalization of mental asylums within other public issues is visible, which include education, incarceration, and homelessness.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/37393272

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