I.Objectives
Achieved by U.S. Eugenics Movement,
which
seeks selective breeding to improve humans
1.
Restrictions on marriage (anti-miscegenation predates;1896 Conn.1st pure
eugenic law)
2.
Sterilization of genetic undesirables (laws in 30 states+Puerto Rico, 1907-1964)
3.
Restricted immigration (Emergency Quota Act 1921; Johnson-Reid Act 1924)
II.Eugenics
Movement arguments based on pseudo-science rooted in biological determinism,
which
has pattern of ignoring, discarding, falsifying evidence
A.
I.Q. testing predated by:
1.
Physiognomy: facial angles used to determine inborn characteristics
2.
Phrenology: examines surface of head for bumps showing poverty, wisdom,
etc.
3.
Craniology: cephalic index (width/length of skull) to measure intellect,
morals
B.
Craniology disproved:
1.
Anatomist Burt Wilder (1909) shows no difference between black/white brains
2.
Franz Boas in 1912 (1940) makes 18000 measurements of immigrants to U.S.
a.cephalic
index of American-born descendents differ from parents
b.Importance
of nutritional differences for longer heads
3.
Yet after Boas disproves, Harvard’s Hooten uses to oppose unemployment
relief
in book, Apes, Men, and Morons (1937)
C.Thomas
Sowell (1978) in article, “Race and IQ,” shows increase in IQ scores of
various
immigrant groups the longer they have lived in the U.S.
1.
Group IQ differences could be 100% from environment despite individual
dif.
2.
Improvement due to acculturation and improved education/income of families
D.Impact
of environment: Alpha/Beta tests show that blacks in 4 states (Penn, NY,
Ill,
Ohio)
have higher IQ scores than whites in 4 states (Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas,
Georgia)
1.McDougal
(psych. chair at Harvard U) and Brigham (1923) dismiss findings:
Saying
that higher IQ blacks with greater admixture white blood went north
III.Politics
disguised as science: the bias of IQ testing
A.All
3 pioneers of the IQ testing movement in America were in eugenics movement
1.Lewis
M. Terman: “Every feeble-minded woman is a potential prostitute”
Develops
Stanford-Binet test assuming it measures innate ability
a.Ignores
Alfred Binet’s warning: no single measure of intelligence and
Cannot
separate innate from learned intelligence.
2.Edward
L. Thorndike: “positive correlation between intel. and morality”
3.Henry
Goddard: the Kallikak Family claims to show 3 generations of criminals
B.Based
on alpha and Beta tests given to WWI recruits (Goddard, Yerkes, Terman),
Yoakum
and Yerkes concludes that 47.3% of the American people are morons.
IV.Eugenics
and racism not simply product of “prejudice” or ignorance:
A.Eugenics
courses taught around turn of century at Harvard, MIT, Brown, etc.
B.
Eugenics supported by presidents Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge