In addition to restrictive immigration laws that barred ‘undesirables’ entry into society, compulsory sterilizations were enacted to pursue a genetically pure society. The infamous Buck v. Bell case, which led Virginia to the legalization of compulsory sterilization and the Virginia Sterilization law of 1924, was upheld 8-1 by Justice Oliver Holmes (Buck v Bell, 1927). Study of the Buck v. Bell case serves the purpose of exposing the proliferation of Eugenic rhetoric.
Scans of original congressional hearing transcripts with the Committee of Immigration and Naturalization was drawn from the Eugenics Archive at the University of Missouri and the Library of Congress. The transcript and opinion from the Buck v. Bell case were drawn from supremecourt.gov.
Charles Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton adopted Darwin’s concepts and used them to justify social-economic stratification. Charles Darwin lauded his cousin, and in a letter to Galton states, “ I do not think that any point in my life will I read anything else more interesting an original”. Galton hypothesized that society must “improve or impair the racial qualities of future generation physically or mentally” in order to ensure the development of the human species. In 1883, the term “Eugenics” was coined and was described as "science of improving stock--not only by judicious mating, but whatever tends to give the more suitable races or strains of blood a better chance of prevailing over the less suitable than they otherwise would have had” (Newman-Hacket, 1969). Galton’s theory of Eugenics circulated upper tier aristocratic conversation but never shook British public policy due to its ethical
New York had the highest average immigration percentage of 26% from 1900-1940 (U.S Census Bureau, 2006). Clairenette Armstrong, a children psychologist and Eugenics lobbyist, worked in tandem with Harry Laughlin in the development of a report to present to New York State Chamber of Commerce in 1934 concerning “recommended changes in immigration laws based on psychological examination of children of Immigrants” (Armstrong, 1934). To start her report, she describes in the congressional quota law of 1929 of immigrants as, “all idiots, imbeciles, feeble minded persons, epileptics… persons with psychopathic inferiority should be barred.”(Laughlin, 1929). Laughlin takes a wasted cost argument in his proposal to New York adding, “The Direct Cost of the Socially Inadequate to New York State” results from “The inability of the inadequate to support themselves, their lack of participation in the production of wealth and their hindrance to progress, welfare and sanitation generally, greatly outweigh their direct money charge to the state”( Laughlin, 1928).
Laughlin and Armstrong pursued Eugenic initiatives through lobbying pseudo scientific facts in front of federal and state courts in order to influence policy development. The high immigration percentage of New York and the Eugenics’ Office aggressive action in New York leads one to believe that it was larger presence of immigrant
The eugenics movement started in the early 1900s and was adopted by doctors and the general public during the 1920s. The movement aimed to create a better society through the monitoring of genetic traits through selective heredity. Over time, eugenics took on two different views. Supporters of positive eugenics believed in promoting childbearing by a class who was “genetically superior.” On the contrary, proponents of negative eugenics tried to monitor society’s flaws through the sterilization of the “inferior.”
...ng on Justice Douglas view, it is not right to use genetics and issues of hereditary in legal decisions (Reilly, 1991). Such natural aspects should not violate the individual’s right of procreation and fourteen amendments. Everybody is therefore entitled to basic civic rights. Eugenics movement disappeared after the atrocities by the Germany regime. Although Holmes there was overturning of Homes decision eventually, Ms. Buck and many feebleminded American citizens were victims of State and Supreme Court immorality. Reviewing of the focus period, neither society nor individual got benefits of Compulsory sterilization statutes. The change of attitudes towards mental handicapped people over time is interesting. From late 1950s in the United States, civil and women rights movement, contribute to acts governing the handicapped rights including their rights to reproduce.
On October 19, 1927, a “feebleminded,” young woman was robbed. This young woman’s name is Carrie Buck and her ability to conceive children was taken from her without her consent or knowledge. This decision would not only impact those already affected by unauthorized sterilization, but for those whom would later be sterilized. The Supreme Court’s ruled the sterilization of Carrie Buck to be constitutional on the grounds of it being better for society, better for the individual, and eugenic evidence.
Galton, David J., and Clare J. Galton. "Francis Galton: And Eugenics Today." Journal of Medical Ethics, 24.2 (1998): 99-101. JSTOR. Web. 8 Mar. 2010.
Eugenics was a proposed way to improve the human species by encouraging or permitting reproduction of people with desirable genetic characteristics. Higham says, "The dazzling development of modern genetics around 1900 revealed principles of heredity that seemed entirely independent of environmental influences." (Doc 4) In Grant's "Passing of the Great Race", he claims bad gene mixture based upon differences in skin, eye color, and lack of working abilities.
The political machine was supported by continuing immigration from 1800 to 1920, when more than eighteen million European immigrants flooded into the Untied States in search of economic opportunity and political and religious freedom. At first they came from Northern and Central Europe and then largely from Eastern and Southern Europe. (New Colossus , Pg. 1) New York alone reported that by June 30, 1899 immigrant arrivals from the Russian Empire were around 90,787. Arrivals, from the same year, from all countries of persons of German race were 29,682 and Hebrew arrivals were 60,764. (Changing the Character of Immigration, Pg. 1) Unfortunately, with such a large influx in population during a short amount of time and other variables such as immigrants being unable to speak English, inadequate affordable urban housing, and insufficient jobs a large amount of immigrants ended up in growing slums without the feeling of security or knowledge of how to find help, if there was any, from an unrepresentative government. These factors transformed incoming immigrants into easy prey for patronage from the political machine and sustained it by giving their votes. In the 1930’s mass immigration had stopped and representative government had begun, leading to a decline in patronage needed by then integrated immigrants and a decline in votes for the machine.
Fairchild H. P., 1930, ‘Immigration and the population problem’ , Annals of the American academy of Political and Social Science, New York University
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
...CP’s constituency” (Brilliant 108). Therefore, other groups picked up the slack such as the Catholic Interracial Council of Los Angeles. They challenged the law on the grounds of religious freedom, as Perez and Davis were both Catholic. Although much of the public sentiment sought to “prove” through research that the offspring will be less competent, individuals such as Roger Traynor stance suggested otherwise. Traynor refuted the idea of a white superiority and how it “had nothing to do with race (nature)” as it had “everything to do with ‘environmental factors’ (nurture)” (Brilliant 111). He eluded those whom defended the law to Nazis and eugenicists. By appealing to and unlawful racial superiority exhibited by condemned groups, another socially constructed law was struck down with the help of continual challenges by community groups and determined individuals.
The idea of eugenics was first introduced by Sir Francis Galton, who believed that the breeding of two wealthy and successful members of society would produce a child superior to that of two members of the lower class. This assumption was based on the idea that genes for success or particular excellence were present in our DNA, which is passed from parent to child. Despite the blatant lack of research, two men, Georges Vacher de Lapouge and Jon Alfred Mjoen, played to the white supremacists’ desires and claimed that white genes were inherently superior to other races, and with this base formed the first eugenics society. The American Eugenics Movement attempted to unethically obliterate the rising tide of lower classes by immorally mandating organized sterilization and race based experimentation.
The concept of eugenics was not initially intended to prevent overcrowding, however, it would later be used as a form of population control. Eugenics is the idea of improving society by breeding fitter people. Francis Galton was the first person to originate this term and was a major proponent of the concept during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The practice of eugenics was originally performed through the use of selective breeding. Eugenics was a progressive idea, driven by social perceptions. In fact, "many of its most strident advocates were socialist, who saw eugenics as enlightened state planning of reproduction."2 Fearing the degradation of society, the elite desired to prevent further social decay of the world by eliminating individuals who were considered unfit physically, mentally, or socially.
The Web. 27 May 2014. The "Eugenics" - "The. Dictionary.com. The World of the. Dictionary.com, n.d. -. Web.
The term eugenics was coined in the late 19th century. Its goal was to apply the breeding practices and techniques used in plants and animals to human reproduction. Francis Galton stated in his Essays in Eugenics that he wished to influence "the useful classes" in society to put more of their DNA in the gene pool. The goal was to collect records of families who were successful by virtue of having three or more adult male children who have gain superior positions to their peers. His view on eugenics can best be summarized by the following passage:
When the native work force went on strike many workers feared that many immigrants would displace them in the workplace. Another concern was that immigrants were hard to "Americanize." These people came to American with their own culture, traditions, and language; many of them didn’t even know English. Many nativists resented immigrants because they permeated the city and made it unsafe and dirty. Their slums were breeding grounds for disease and violence. Nativists regarded immigrants as an inferior class of people. One of the theories to support this dispute was eugenics. Eugenics is the study of human heredity, aimed at "improving" the genetic quality of the human stock. The eugenics movement was an effort to grade races and ethnic groups according to their genetic qualities. Eugenicists claimed that immigrants were inferior to Anglo-Saxons and were polluting the "pure" American bloodstream. The sheer number of immigrants entering the country also scared many people. A. P...
When created in 1923, the American Eugenics Society exemplified an air of reform with a seemingly positive purpose, however this cannot be further from the truth. In reality, the society polluted the air with myths of weeding out imperfections with the Galtonian ideal, the breeding of the fittest (Carison). The founder of the society, Charles Davensport , preached that those who are imperfect should be eliminated(Marks). From the school desk to the pulpit, the fallacies of the eugenics movement were forced into society. Preachers often encouraged the best to marry the best while biology professors would encourage DNA testing to find out ones fate (Selden). A...