America — as interesting and intriguing a country it may be certainly has its darker chapters and times that not that many like to talk about. Most today, argue that people should move on from the past and live in the present as we are all alive today. But like most places in the world, America has a quite a few darker chapters than other places, and in this case I’m talking about Eugenics.
I’ve been researching this topic and talking about it amongst my peers and neighbours for about a month or so now — and in a stunning discovery found that most people had no idea or had little idea what the word actually meant or how it applied to human history in America. That alone in itself is shockingly sad and I hope that this deep-dive applies the knowledge I believe people should have about how far America once went to achieve their white-greatness.
I’d like to acknowledge before I go into this deep dive that I hold no sentiments against white people; nor do I have anything against them, nor do I feel hatred against them. This article is in no way to make it seem like I have an issue with white people or their lives however it is merely making a point of the violent and terrifying things some of them have helped do throughout the last century.
According to this Stanford definition, Eugenics has various meanings but I’d like to solely focus on the origisn and what it originally meant rather than what it may mean today. As we’ve all learend throughout history, the powers-that-be have this odd mantra about rewriting things to make themselves and those in power seem more innocent than they actually are.
It has long been argued that Eugenics in the 20th century were also used against black people and the black community. Alike people like Carrie Buck, there were numerous reported cases of forced black sterilizations to prevent black breeding (See: The Tuskeegee Syphillis Experiment.)
The definition states that starting at about a century ago (early 20th century) the word meant and held meaning to concentration camps; forced and intentional breeding, medical experiments, sterilization and more. But for the purposes of Eugenics in American history — we’re going to focus on these components of the definition: medical experiments, sterilization, and forced/intentional breeding.
Eugenics is something most have only ever heard about on T.V or watching movies. But what most don’t realize is that the horrors behind Eugenics have all played a part in the history of mankind. Beginning around 1920 — the word took flight and for decades the real horrors began.
Historically, most of the time that “Eugenics” had been applied to communities and areas of America it meant that those in power felt that the population or communities in question needed to be improved.
Let’s take a mental breath here. This is about to get deep and might be triggering for some. Before we continue — I want you all to take a note of the name Francis Galton (dating clear back to the late 1800 ‘s.)
Although not the original mastermind of Eugenics, Galton played a huge part in analyzing and studying human traits during this period (the late 1800 ‘s and early 1900 ‘s) to the tune of super-intelligence and the appearance of England ‘s upperclass (aka the wealthy and likely white.) Perhaps it could be argued that it was here that the Eugenics movement became of interest to others as Galton ‘s work determined (that human traits could be passed down through generations.
An excerpt from a book by Galton at the time of his research – Hereditary Genius (1869): “Consequently, as it is easy, ….. to obtain by careful selection a permanent breed of dogs or horses gifted with peculiar powers of running, or of doing anything else, so it would be quite practicable to produce a highly-gifted race of men by judicious marriages during several consecutive generations.”
Important names to note at this point: Charles Davenport — a prominent biologist and scientist that initially helped ignite the Eugenics movement in the United States.
I bring up Davenport because Davenport played a huge role in the creation of the Eugenices Record Office (ERO). This was an office that helped keep track and collect “data” on human traits; current information, behavior skills, and more. Tha same office laos helped Davenport and his assitant Mr. Loughlin keep track of what society considered undesirable traits: mental disability, impairments, dwarfism, promiscuity, and more.
Key dates: The Eugenics movement kicked off in the early 1900 ‘s going on until about the early 1930 ‘s according to historical records I reviewed for this newspaper article. It peaked after government administrations switched and new administrations took control of America.
Factoid: During this time period, families in America (across the country for that matter) competed in what were “fitting family” competitions. If that sounds like something straight of what would’ve been the 20th century version of the Purge — you’re not entirely alone. The eugenics movement and the quest for racial and physical perfection among the human race was well-documented in a film called The Black Stork (1917).
The Black Stork is about a so-called “hero” doctor who managed to falsely convince a baby’s family that they should die (and he actually did) because he was believed to have inherited unfavorable traits at birth. The film is based on a true story.
The legal landscape of it all (until it fully became crap in the early 40’s) was dealt a significant boost by a 1927 Supreme Court decision. A woman by the name of Carrie Buck became what is believed to be the first person forcefully sterilized at the hands of the U.S government. In a unanimous decision that year, the Supreme Court ruled that because she was “feeble-minded”; promiscuous, and had a baby out of wedlock (“she deserved to be sterilized and actually was.”.)
“It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind….Three generations of imbeciles is enough”
The United States Supreme Court, 1927, unanimous decision in the case of Buck v Bell.
So the question I have for modern America — in an America where people especially “unfit” black people are targeted more than ever in ways similar to that of the 20th century. How can people pretend these sorts of things never happened? And for the love of land in which we live, how do so many people not know about these horrors?
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