A Century of Eugenics in America: From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era

by Paul A. Lombardo (Editor), Maxwell J. Mehlman (Contributor), Angela Logan (Contributor)

In 1907, Indiana passed the world's first involuntary sterilization law based on the theory of eugenics. In time, more than 30 states and a dozen foreign countries followed suit. Although the Indiana statute was later declared unconstitutional, other laws restricting immigration and regulating marriage on "eugenic" grounds were still in effect in the U.S. as late as the 1970s. A Century of Eugenics in America assesses the history of eugenics in the United States and its status in the age of the Human Genome Project. The essays explore the early support of compulsory sterilization by doctors and legislators; the implementation of eugenic schemes in Indiana, Georgia, California, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Alabama; the legal and social challenges to sterilization; and the prospects for a eugenics movement basing its claims on modern genetic science.

Genres: History, Eugenics, Science, American History, Politics, Health, Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Aja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to get you to think about things, not just from a genetic or scientific standpoint but also from a social and political standpoint. Thoroughly enjoyed this book that made me go "hm..."

[Charles Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lombardo, Paul, A., ed. A Century of Eugenics in America. Indiana University Press, 2011.

In 1907, Indiana passed mandatory eugenics laws becoming the first states to do so, but was quickly followed by other states and countries. Even though the eugenics laws have been stricken from the books the concept still remains strong. For instance, on September 10, 2025, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade suggested euthing mentally ill homeless by involuntary lethal injection. His cohosts jollily agreed.
Indiana was also a KKK stronghold.
This book is a seriously documented volume both fascinating and morbidly frightening. There is a plethora of citations for further research.
Leaders of the eugenic movement felt it their duty to cull the least productive of the humanoids and encourage the best and the brightest to reproduce, perhaps producing a nation populated by themselves.
Sterilization appeared to move more swiftly when uneducated poor whites or minorities were the intended victims. Interestingly, the book frequently asserts the sterilization statistics were quite consistent with 1930s Nazi Germany. I will l leave it to the reader to draw his own conclusions.
Are we entering a perfect storm for the resurgence of eugenics? (p. 193). This book is almost fifteen years old. An update would, at the very least, be interesting. Would, for instance, preexisting conditions as a specific part of a health care plan be considered eugenics.
This is an important read which should be taken seriously.

[Joyce]

Not going to rate. If you are interested in the topic then it is recommended but most would not be. Also, it was published in 2011 which does not affect historical data but also does not include developments in the last decade or so.