How Science Created Morons

Sterilization

The early 20th century saw eugenics gain traction in America, leading to the implementation of sterilization laws. Influential figures like Alexander Graham Bell and Margaret Sanger supported these ideas, which resulted in laws that allowed the state to sterilize individuals deemed "feeble-minded." Carl Zimmer explains how the infamous Calicac family story was used as evidence in the Supreme Court case of Carrie Buck, an 18-year-old woman who was sterilized after being labeled feeble-minded 1.

The justice wrote, it is better for all the world if society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind.

--- Wendy Zukerman

This ruling paved the way for the mass sterilization of marginalized groups, including Black, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Native Americans 2.

   

Nazi Influence

American eugenics significantly influenced Nazi ideology, as the Calicac family story crossed the Atlantic and became a tool for Nazi propaganda. Carl Zimmer notes that the Nazis used this narrative to justify their horrific attempts to control reproduction and "improve" the master race 3.

The Calicac family became an iconic example of why the Nazis wanted to control reproduction.

--- Carl Zimmer

Back in the U.S., the story also influenced immigration laws, making it harder for Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis to enter the country. As the atrocities of World War II became known, eugenics fell out of favor, but its impact lingered 1.