Ok, so I am completely obsessed with researching the Eugenics Movement in America. The more I learn, the more amazed I am that this often ignored aspect of American history ever took place...Hitler set about to complete what American Scientists, policy makers and elites started..... Thought I'd share a little bit of my historical passion with you....
The rest of the board reads:
"America needs less of these..."
- Every 48 seconds a person is born in the US who will never grow up mentally beyond that of a normal 8 year old boy or girl."
-Every 50 seconds a person is committed to jail in the US. Very few normal persons ever go to jail.
"America needs more of these..."
- Every 7and 1/2 minutes a HIGH GRADE person is born in the US who will have the ability to do creative work and be fit for leadership. About 4 percent of Americans come within this class.
Notice the similarity between the Nazi poster and the American display board.....
These guys are protesting for marriage laws and sterilization....
One of many books on Eugenics published during this time... Other not-so-subtle titles include: The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Disease, Pauperism, and Heredity; The Tribe of Ishmael: A Study of Social Degeneration; The Passing of the Great Race; The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremicy; Constructive Eugenics, The Task of Social Hygiene; The Right to be Well Born; and Eugenics: A Journal of Race Betterment.
The family above won a "Fitter Family" Contest at the State Fair!....
While many were dubbed "feeble-minded" and placed in institutions or sterilized, there was never a real, scientific definition of or method for determining "feeble-mindedness." Interestingly, the IQ test was developed by Eugenicists...
Honorary degree given by a German University in 1936 to Harry Laughlin one of America's leading Eugenisits. He managed to get laws against "racial mixing," laws allowing forces sterilization of the "unfit," and laws restricting the immigration of non-nordics passed. The Germans applauded his efforts of behalf of Eugenics.....
More info on Eugenics and cool primary source documents like these can be found at:
6 comments:
I would look into the history of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. Her interest in eugenics has lead to the biggest industry of eugenics better known and practiced in the form od abortion today.
well, anonymous, I agree that PP and Sanger do have very shady ties to the eugenics movement.... I for one, am not a fan of abortion (i know...gasps and shocks from those of you who know me to be a CRAZED liberal) and I think it should be more limited in terms of when in a pregnancy an abortion can occur. I also feel that the abortion issue would be better tackled if both sides of the issue spent less time fighting against each other and more time promoting responsible sexuality/good decision making, the proper use of birth control, making the morning after pill more available, and dealing with the socio-economic issues that lead to unwanted pregnancies. If we can combat the problem before it happens than abortion will become a moot point. I do agree that something like abortion, if tailored to a class or group of people (such as blacks or, say, women (think China)) could become a major eugenics issue....However, Sanger and the eugenicist had several major differences of opinion. Ultimately, Sanger was a feminist more so than a eugenicist. She wanted ALL women, even those among the "superior" races to be able to control their reproductive health and to be able to choose small families and to use birth control if they desired. This completely went against everything the eugenicists at the time were preaching. They were "hastening white women to return to the fire-side and to breed quality offspring in quantity." This conflict of opinions was one of the major reasons the eugenics movement and the birth control movement never really meshed, although Sanger was hoping to join the movements as a way of piggy-backing her feminist/birth control agenda onto the success and positive reputation of the Eugenics movement. (Check out War Against the Weak by Edwin Black – awesome book!!)
I would also point out that while abortion may have a shady past, I don’t think it is being carried out in a way that is really focusing in on “Degenerates” or minorities. Therefore, I would not consider it to be an “industry of eugenics” as you have suggested. 60% of women who have abortions are white and 52% of them are under 25. The major reason for not having it is to “postpone childbearing.” Alarmingly (At least for me) is the fact that only 54% of women having an abortion SAID they used SOME FORM of contraception during the month they became pregnant!!!! Wow!! We could get rid of AT LEAST half of abortions if we could get women to use birth control properly!!! What’s more, it is possible that up to 43% of the decline in abortion from 1944-2000 can be attributed to the use/availability of emergency contraception. So, I am definitely a big proponent of birth control as the solution to abortion…. (Stats from http://womensissues.about.com/cs/abortionstats/a/aaabortionstats.htm)
Anyways, thanks for the thought-provoking post!!
I would also point out that like 88% of abortions occur between weeks 6 and 12, which is good (well, better anyways, and points to some of the sensationalism of much of the pro-life, anti-abortion campaign.
bravo miss coles. i heart you.
um, when are you going to bless us with a lovely new rant?
Do you know how many people were involved in the Eugenics movment in America?
Post a Comment