Drapetomania facts for kids
Drapetomania was a made-up "mental illness" that an American doctor named Samuel A. Cartwright claimed existed in 1851. He said it was the reason why enslaved Black people would try to run away from their enslavers. Today, we know this idea was completely false and part of something called scientific racism. It was never a real illness.
Contents
What Does "Drapetomania" Mean?
The word "Drapetomania" comes from two old Greek words.
- Drapetes (pronounced dra-PEH-tes) meant "a runaway slave."
- Mania (pronounced MAY-nee-uh) meant "madness" or "frenzy."
So, the word was created to mean "runaway madness."
What Was Drapetomania Supposedly About?
In 1851, Samuel A. Cartwright wrote about this fake illness in a paper called Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race. He believed that if enslaved people were treated "correctly," they would not want to run away.
Cartwright claimed that this "disease" happened when enslavers were "too friendly" with the people they enslaved. He thought that treating enslaved people as equals would make them want to escape. He even suggested a "cure" for this supposed illness. He said that if enslaved people were treated harshly, they would not try to run away.
This idea of Drapetomania was used to try and justify slavery and the cruel treatment of enslaved people. It was a way to make it seem like running away was a sickness, instead of a natural desire for freedom.
Images for kids
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Engraving of an escaped slave
See also
In Spanish: Drapetomanía para niños
