Copied from [Source] Margaret Sanger, “The Eugenic Value of Birth Control Propaganda,” Oct 1921. Published Article. Source: The Birth Control Review, Oct. 1921, 5 , Margaret Sanger MicrofilmS70:913 . For related documents, see Chapter VIII of “The Pivot of Civilization,” 1922. An editorial introduction mentions the timeliness of this article in light of the recently …
Category: Fit and Unfit
The Roots of the Concentration Camp Were American and British Eugenicists, Not Nazis
For what its worth, the very idea of the ‘concentration camp’ was as much American and British, if not more, as it was Nazi Germany. These ‘segregation’ camps were seen as humane and hygienic ways to prevent the breeding of ‘defective stock.’ Quotes from Eugenicists discussing such camps are provided below. No attempt is made …
Abortion As Eugenics Tool: Harrison Brown and “The Challenge of Man’s Future”
Today, abortion is nearly always described in terms of a woman’s reproductive right in relation to family planning, but it is not understood that abortion was widely seen by eugenicists as a means of reducing the human population, and especially certain sub-populations (eg, black people, handicapped people, etc). Part of this is intentional–if it was …
Eugenics and Evolution are Incompatible with Charity and Altruism
One of the common themes of eugenic writers is that if Darwinism and evolution were properly understood, charity and altruism could very well inflict a great harm on a population, and indeed, threatening to do just that. This post will catalog quotes of eugenicists making that argument. ——— From Madison Grant in The Passing of …
Christianity and Eugenics Diametrically Opposed
One of the common themes that surfaces in the writings of eugenicists is how Christianity is the antithesis of the eugenics mindset. Catholics in particular are often singled out. No person educated in evolution and Darwinism could possibly stand opposed to eugenics–or remain a Christian. At the very least, tenets of religious faith that stress …
The Obstacle of Sentiment and Sentimentalists to Pure Scientific Application
One of the common themes that surfaces in eugenic writings is their annoyance that others do not act on the logical implications of Science. Note that, in the main, they are not taking issue with people who do not agree with their conclusions, but rather those who do agree–but will not act on them. This …
Subsidizing the Fit: An American Evolutionist and Eugenicist Endorses early German Efforts to Establish an Aryan Race
Chapter XXXV: Human Conservation / subsection: Subsidizing the Fit by Herbert E. Walter Found in Readings in Evolution, Genetics, and Eugenics, edited by Horatio Hackett Newman, Professor of Zoology in the University of Chicago, in 1921; Newman also gave testimony at the ‘Scopes Monkey’ trial. Page 480-481 The following unconfirmed newspaper clipping illustrates the point …
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