Eugenics Essay

931 Words2 Pages

Since the conception of eugenics, scientist and scholars looked for many ways to improve or wipe out human characteristics that prevent the progression of evolution in the human race. Originally, eugenics was the study of improving the human race by exterminating people who don’t fit the stereotypical white purity ideology. Its this kind of ideology that influenced Nazi Germany to carry on their heinous atrocities known as the holocaust. Some of the ideas behind eugenics also influenced legislation, which created segregation laws, marriage restrictions and forced sterilization here in the United States before World War II. Scientist saw eugenics as a solution to alleviate many underlying social problems in society like alcoholism, crime and poverty. This idea first came about in California, in the early 1900s, which was leading the American eugenics movement at the time. Behind this movement where some of the nations most respected scientist with prestigious academic back rounds (such as Stanford and Harvard) and race scientist who adapted race theories with invalid data to push their racist eugenic agenda. If it weren’t for rich upcoming entrepreneurs at the time, there would be no funding for the research behind eugenics. Rich corporations like the Carnegie Institution, Rockefeller Foundation and the Harriman railroad fortune all helped finance the research on eugenics. Each of these rich contributors took part in engaging the eugenic movement in many ways. For example, the Carnegie institution set up a laboratory in Long Island, New York that stored millions of index cards with information of Americans, so researchers can start to plot the separations of families and people as a whole. They also manipulated legislature and soci...

... middle of paper ...

...ed in America. Methods used in America like segregation, sterilization and incarceration could not compare to Gas chambers, firing squads and the use of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. After WWII, many test and experiments from scientist studying eugenics, scientist started slowly realizing that their eugenic conclusions are invalid. Not only did science prove that theories of eugenics where false but, changes in the conscience of society and politics changed. After the abuses in failed experimentation during ww2 scientist and others started to question the theory of eugenics after results proved that most social problems aren’t heredetiarty but are influenced by the enviorment around us. As soon as scientist begin to question the theories and abandon them everyone else followed and the study of eugenics are now considered as inhumane and abuse human rights.

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The American Eugenics Movement

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Eugenics Movement was led by Charles Davenport and was a social agenda to breed out undesirable traits with an aim of racial purification. Eugenics was a used to breed out the worst and weakest to improve the genetic composition of the human race, and advocated for selective breeding to achieve this. The science of eugenics rested on simple mendelian genetics, which was a mistake because they were assuming complex behaviors could be reduced to simple mendelian genes. After Nazi Germany adopted the ideas behind the American eugenics movement to promote the Aryan race, the eugenics movement was completely discredited.

    Read More

  • Atrocities Associated with the Eugenics Movement

    1243 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Eugenics: An Excuse To Be A Racist Or A Means To A Better Tomorrow?

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    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:

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Eugenics In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eugenics, the set of beliefs and practices which aim at improving the genetic quality of the human population played a significant role in the history and culture of United States prior to its involvement in World War Two. (Wiki) Gilman is the writer of late 19th and early 20th century and during this century which is known as progressive era, Eugenics was considered a method of preserving and improving the dominant groups in the population. The idea of Eugenics was brought up by Sir Francis Galton in America. They think that by the idea of eugenics there will be a development in a society. America also made American Breeder’s Association which later on founded the Eugenics Record office, and with certain mission and, in their mission statement, they wrote: Society must protect itself; as it claims the right to deprive the murder of his life so it may also annihilate the hideous serpent of hopelessly vicious protoplasm. Here is where appropriate legislation will aid in eugenics and creating a healthier, saner society in the

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Eugenics

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    The eugenics movement was a period of time when it was believe that the genes of your father and mother gave rise to any and all traits, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, behavioral, and moral. Essentially, eugenics established that all of a persons appearance, skill, and potential was rooted in your genes.

    Read More

  • Eugenics Case Study

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eugenics- Eugenics is a term coined by Francis Galton in 1883 and it is the belief and practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population. This idea that one could trace hereditary problems and find solutions for them gained significant ground in addressing certain societal issues such as poor people and welfare. Two types of eugenics emerged, positive and negative, but the U.S., negative eugenics was preferred. This is the idea of destroying defectives and degenerates from the population to promote and preserve the fittest, a very social Darwinist idea. This is important to sexuality because many homosexuals were sterilized, thus creating the stigma that homosexuality was a disease that could be cured.

    Read More

  • The Origins of the Holocaust

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    The problems with these critiques are that Niewyk ignores Germany's previous attempts at sterilization legislation in 1923 and the influence of foreign eugenic legislation and restrictions on the Nazi government. He also pays little attention to the evidence that shows the Nazi regime also strategically targeted individuals...

    Read More

  • Eugenics: Man versus God

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was also this case, at least in part, which led to the acceptable sterilization of thousands of Americans and around 350,000 people in Nazi Germany in 1933. While there are definitely positive uses for eugenics within today's society including healthy children and a decreased population over time which would require less resources from the planet, there seem to be an outweighing of negative results in the form of forced sterilization, breaches of human rights and an overall misuse of power which could lead to a new threat on par with Nazi Germany.

    Read More

  • The Eugenics Movement for Criminality

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • The American Eugenics Movement

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Eugenics Movement

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1920s, a company in New York started a movement known as “The Eugenics Movement.” The idea of eugenics was eventually picked up by Germany, China, Peru, India and Bangladesh. The movement is still in effect till this day; however, it is not as prevalent as it once was.

    Read More

  • Slavery Dbq

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery ended in the US only after the implementation of the relevant reform that helped people to realize that the country progress was not possible without the abolition of slavery

    Read More

  • Nazi Eugenics and Racial Hygiene

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Nazi’s perpetrated many horrors during the Holocaust. They enacted many cruel laws. They brainwashed millions into foolishly following them and believing their every word using deceitful propaganda tactics. They forced many to suffer doing embarrassing jobs and to live in crowded ghettos. They created mobile killing squads to exterminate their enemies. Finally, as part of “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question”, they made concentration and killing camps. Another thing the Nazi’s did was to use eugenics as another mean to micromanage the population. What is eugenics, you might ask? It’s the field of scientific study or the belief in genetically improving qualities, attributes and traits in the human race and/or improving the species as a whole—usually done by controlled/selective breeding. Those with positive, desirable, and superior traits are encouraged to reproduce and may be given monetary incentives by the government to have large families. Those with negative, undesirable, or inferior traits may be discouraged from having offspring. They may be sterilized, or undergo dangerous medical procedures or operations with high mortality rates. I chose this topic because it appealed to me and seemed interesting. In the following paragraphs, the tactics, methods, and propaganda the Nazi’s used will be exposed.

    Read More

  • Breed Discrimination Essay

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    Specific Purpose: To bring attention to the issue of dog breed discrimination through Breed Selective Legislation (BSL) and inform the audience how they can change it.

    Read More

  • Eugenics and Planned Parenthood

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Eugenics Essay

Open Document