Spenserians Social Darwinism And Eugenics Discussed Essay Example

progress in society. They believed in concepts such as competition in life, individualism, privatization of property, and the science of wealth accumulation. These ideas were also influenced by factors such as ethics, religion, politics, and relativism.

The aftermath resulted in the promotion of radical slavery and discrimination, both of which the emancipation proclamation aimed to free the so-called lesser races from. Jim Crow and others were oppressive forces that the proclamation fought against (Jr., 137). Henry Adams, along with others, used Darwinism's theory of social superiority to gain economic and political advantage. These individuals saw themselves as masters of other races, believing that they needed guidance. They also advocated for mandatory sterilization to prevent the passing on of inferior genes (Jr., 137).

Eugenics: A Case Study in Georgia and the US

Eugenics originated with Francis Galton, although it is not entirely clear whether he or Raymond B. Cattell had the belief that thoroughbred lineage derived from a single viable pedigreed offspring.

During the 19th century, alongside Christianity, beliefs of superiority were widespread. These beliefs posited that Caucasians were genetically superior to other Non-Caucasians. However, in Georgia, not many people accepted this theory of genetic superiority when it came to race.

According to the Neo Lamarckian (Kaelber), Georgians believed in keeping their familial affairs private, free from interference by the state. This meant they did not feel the constant need to dominate through war and politics. Additionally, Georgians had very few immigrants or outsiders to compare themselves to, which further enhanced their sense of privacy. Being both religiously affiliated and family-oriented, race was not a significant concern for Georgians.

Moreover, Georgia lacked the necessary resources to support the Eugenics theory of genetic

predisposition. It was located in the Deep South and, in general, Georgians were not forward-thinking or driven by competition. They did not view themselves as superior bloodlines, possibly due to their lack of education or disinterest in the accumulation of wealth advocated by economists from the Social Darwinism School of thought. Despite this, Georgians managed to thrive, contradicting the assertions made by Andrew Carnegie and Adam Graham and Spencer regarding the necessity of competition.

Georgians in the past survived by selectively removing individuals with physical and mental disabilities within their own racial groups. However, they did not consider anyone else as inferior or weak based on their bloodline. The main criterion for marriage and family continuity was having good health. Unfortunately, for about 100,000 unlucky individuals, forced sterilization was implemented if their family history indicated the presence of faulty genes. While this practice was horrific, it took place during a dark period in American and Georgian history.

Lombardo).

Summary

Despite laws coming to the rescue of other races refusing compulsory sterilization or ill treatment of the physically and mentally handicapped or abolition of slavery for that matter, the damage had already been done. About 100,000 people paid this price in totality of 12 states, and it was done involuntarily, by Eugenics followers. The Oklahoma state tried changing this view point but, when they tried to weigh the constitutionality of the sexual mutilation and crime within Oklahoma descendants. Particularly referring to robbery of 3 chickens, the honorable Judge held that the court had no way of inferring punishment based on inheritability of genes.

Only Oliver Wendell's damage had already been done in the Buck vs. Bell Supreme Court case, and as

the highest court in the land, it was final. When the honorable judge condemned a feeble-minded woman's fallopian tubes to be cut for inheriting undesirable traits, it was never overruled (Library).

Conclusion

Whichever way it was put, it is rather clear that Social Darwinism was based on frivolous beliefs and merely put in place for economic gains and political capital. It is rather clear from the works presented above that it was so irrefutably.

Works cited

1. Haller, John S. Outcasts from Evolution: Scientific Attitudes of Racial Inferiority, 1859-1900. Illinois: SIU Press, 1971.
2. James, Patricia. Population Malthus: His Life and Times. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013.
3. Jr., James W. Trent. Inventing the Feeble Mind: A History of Mental Retardation in the United States.

Carlinfornia: University of Carlifornia, 1994.

Three Generation, No Imberciles Virginia, Buck vs. Bell and forced sterilisation. 2004. <http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/eugenics/>

Lombardo, Paul A. Disability, Eugenics and The Culture Wars.

2016. 11 March 2016 <http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/sljhlp2&div=6&id=&page=>.
Lombardo, Paul. University of Virginia: Eugenic Sterilization Laws. 2016. <http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay8text.html>.
Rivard, Laura.

The article titled "The Eugenics Movement in America's Hidden History" was published by Scitable by Nature Education on September 18, 2014, and updated on March 11, 2016. You can access the article at http://www.nature.com/scitable/forums/genetics-generation/america-s-hidden-history-the-eugenics-movement-123919444. Further insight on the topic can be found in the book "What Social Classes Owe to Each Other" by William Graham Sumner, which was published by Cosimo Inc in 2007.