dc.contributor.author	Bell, Joseph
dc.coverage.spatial	United States	en_US
dc.coverage.temporal	1900-2000	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2021-08-09T13:59:14Z
dc.date.available	2021-08-09T13:59:14Z
dc.date.issued	2021-07
dc.identifier.other	A50786DA-C720-CDB1-45C0-F21CA2C66B3E	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10428/4950
dc.description.abstract	The American Eugenics Movement occurred within several decades of the twentieth century, and the perception of it as a solely race-based movement has been generally accepted. However, while eugenics utilized racism later against Black and Brown minorities, other methods of repression were used to alienate groups regardless of race. This thesis will explore the timeline of eugenic theory itself, as well as the socio-political movement behind it, to prove an evolution occurred. Three distinct eras of change in eugenic philosophy took place during this period. Mentalism, or Sanism, was first used in eugenic ideology before the 1920s and targeted the mentally ill and disabled. Nativism and xenophobia became popular during the late 1910s and early 1920s. From this point until after World War II, policies were enacted that labeled Southern and Eastern European Immigrants as “feebleminded” and barred their entry into the United States. The final era consisted of sterilizations on African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities using racism linked to socio-economic status and enrollment on welfare rolls. The evolution of eugenic philosophy and policies occurred as new threats to the status quo emerged. While this (then) scientific theory was not rooted in racism when created, it relied heavily on classism in an effort to improve the human race. Throughout this period in the United States, the upper classes were the primary participants in eugenics. Many members were white and held classist, racist, and nativist views. These individuals altered eugenic philosophy and policy as needed to prevent national genetic stock from degrading. This was why the American Eugenics Movement evolved. Keywords: Eugenics, American History, Sterilization, African Americans, Xenophobia, Racism	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Introduction 1 -- Chapter I: “The Origins of Eugenics in Great Britain & Evolution in the United States” 21 -- Chapter II: “1908-1924: Shifting from Mentalism to Nativism” 50 -- Chapter III: “Fall of Formal Eugenics, Rise of Informal, & Shift to Anti-Black Racism” 75 -- Conclusion: “Assessing How Eugenics Evolved & Impacted the United States” 107 -- REFERENCES 113 -- APPENDIX A: Sterilization Spreadsheet: 1900-1964 120	en_US
dc.format.extent	1 electronic document, 121 pages. 1219769 bytes.	en_US
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.	en_US
dc.subject	Academic theses	en_US
dc.subject	African Americans	en_US
dc.subject	Eugenics	en_US
dc.subject	History	en_US
dc.subject	Racism	en_US
dc.subject	Sterilization (Birth control)	en_US
dc.subject	United States	en_US
dc.subject	Xenophobia	en_US
dc.title	The Evolution of American Eugenics in the Twentieth Century: Mentalism, Xenophobia, and Racism	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Department of History of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Aiello, Thomas
dc.description.committee	Block, Mary
dc.description.committee	Haggard, Dixie
dc.description.degree	M.A.	en_US
dc.description.major	History	en_US