Social Darwinism: Starting In The Late 19th Century

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Starting in the late 19th century, social Darwinism became a popular view among Americans. It was a theory advocated by Herbert Spencer, who used the ideas from Charles Darwin, and said that humans behave under laws of natural selection. The theory said that there is a struggle for existence among people, and that only the most fit will survive in a society. This includes people with high social positions and wealth. For the poor with little wealth and social status, they will most likely struggle to exist and die off. This is true because wealthy people have more access to better schools, food and medicine, meaning their offspring will have higher chances of survival. Furthermore, after the Spanish American War, social Darwinism was also applied