Eugenics on The East Coast
The influence of eugenics on the east coast By Samantha Aiko Introduction Eugenics was a movement that began in the early 20th century based on the premise that specific groups of people were of a master race. This idea was first popularized by Francis Galton, an Englishman influenced by his cousin Charles Darwin's theories on natural selection. He believed that genius could be passed down through genes, but he also believed that negative traits could be controlled and eliminated from society. Eugenicists around the world took up this mantle, including America where eugenicists like Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller Jr funded institutions dedicated to eradicating diseases like mental illness from our gene pool altogether. Their efforts resulted in over 60% of institutionalized Americans being sterilized against their will - with many believing it would prevent them from passing down mental illness or chronic disease to their children." Eugenics was a movement that began ...