Eugenics and the Progressive Era
In the late 19th century, a new "science" called eugenics was developed. Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), the British intellectual and explorer, coined the term eugenics, which literally means "well-born." He theorized that social and mental traits, like personality, work ethic, intelligence, and criminality, were determined by heredity and genetics, not by one’s environment. If a society could carefully control the selection and breeding of "talented" men and women, Galton believed, a new "super race" of humans would result.
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Critics called eugenics a "junk science," and work by a number of scientists at the time countered eugenicists' simplistic assertion that complex behavioral traits are determined by single genes. Also, a review panel convened by the Carnegie Institution in 1935 concluded that the vast majority of eugenics-sponsored work was without scientific merit. But, in the late 1890s, eugenics gained broad acceptance, especially among white Anglo-Saxon Protestants alarmed by the rapid changes taking place in U.S. society, including changes in immigration.
Watch this excerpt from American Experience: The Eugenics Crusade. Then answer the questions that follow.
Questions
1. At the start of the 20th century, what changes did some Americans point to as evidence that society was in need of reform and improvement?
2. How did the "science" of eugenics fit into the Progressive movement?
