The American Dream: The Effects Of The American Eugenics Movement

Lina Lin

Mrs. Stall/Mr. Britton/Mr. Jablonka

Introduction to Humanities

26 April 2023

The Effects of the American Eugenics Movement

The modern American dream is amiable and wishes for all Americans—regardless of their identity or background—to be successful in their passions. The nature of this message makes America seem welcoming, but the discriminatory history of the country suggests otherwise. The American dream has always been made to seem like a symbol of the country’s democratic values, but the message has often been skewed and turned into a promise of bigotry and inequity—a clear contrast between the message people know today. America has an undeniably abhorrent history of discrimination, but many parts of the country’s daunting background

Eugenists theorized that “undesirable” traits were inherited from parents, so measures were taken to ensure that supposedly feebleminded women would not be able to reproduce at all. This led to many women being forcibly sterilized; the most notable case of this being that of Carrie Buck, who was deemed feebleminded and was ordered to be forcibly sterilized along with her mother and daughter. She later went to the Supreme Court to challenge whether or not the act was constitutional. The Buck v. Bell case “gave states the authority to implement forced sterilization laws against those deemed ‘unfit’” (Powell). Not only were they barbaric, but compulsory sterilizations entirely removed mankind’s basic human right to reproduce; yet these were still deemed constitutional, as they supported a cause that eugenists believed was necessary to save society. The official legalization of compulsory sterilizations was a major step towards eradicating the “unfit” from society, and eugenists took full advantage of this advancement by continuing to expand their practices across the country. Due to the eugenist belief that feebleminded couples would pass their undesirable qualities to their offspring, laws continued to be implemented across the country to reduce the number of “unfit” offspring produced. By 1931, “27 states required the feebleminded to be sterilized before

Standardized testing, while seemingly innocent, has a tragic history of prejudice and bigotry. Reproductive laws faced significant changes internationally throughout the twentieth century to support an unjust cause. Hitler admired America’s passion to create a superior Anglo-Saxon race and expanded upon this idea until he went too far in his practices. The modern American dream gives all citizens hope of a future of success, no matter their background or identity. Despite this, America’s history seems to consistently contradict this amiable message. When one recognizes the horrific actions committed by American eugenists, it raises the question of whether or not the American dream has ever been truly achievable, or if it simply serves as a facade to repress the most inhuman portions of the country’s cruel