Eugenics, or the belief in the improvement of the human race through selective breeding, played a significant role in the history and culture of the United States prior to WWII. Based on pseudo science, tens of thousands of Americans were were forcibly sterilized during those years and well into the 1970s. Using your textbook and at least five of the primary sources below (or six sources total) answer the following questions: What gave rise to the Eugenics Movement during the first decades of the twentieth century? Why were eugenicists so successful despite criticisms in early court rulings and by some intellectuals such as Franz Boas, Clarence Darrow, and Walter Lippman?
Defending Eugenics:
Robert Rentoul https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/eugenics-movement-in-the-united-states/sources/1620
https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/eugenics-movement-in-the-united-states/sources/1621
Sample Solution