Eugenics in US - Oregon “Better babies“

Eugenics was practiced in about 33 different states. Oregon was one of the many states that implemented eugenic programs and laws. This affected a number of different groups that were marginalized for being “unfit“ and often were subject to forced sterilization. In Oregon, eugenics played an important role in state history. Eugenics was the belief and practice of controlling the population’s genetic quality by restricting people who were deemed “unfit“ to reproduce. Eugenics was not a new idea, but Francis Galton, the half cousin of Charles Darwin, coined the term in 1883. Francis Galton took Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and selective breeding and applied it to humans. In the United States, eugenics became popular in the 19th century, but after the first World War it fell in popularity. In Oregon, better baby competitions started appearing especially at the State Fair they were done to determine which baby was the “better baby“ from all the contestants that entered. This was done by checking their mental health, weighing them, and measuring their body proportions. Whichever babies won, received cash prizes and were published in the newspapers as well. These competitions also promoted the idea that people should be more careful of whom they decide to marry and procreate with. The other proponent was also to decrease baby mortality rates. #NikolaysGeneticsLessons #eugenics #science #biology #eugenicsMovement #selectiveBreeding #whatIsEugenics #eugenicsInAmerica #whatIsEugenicsMovement #theEugenicsMovement #eugenicsHistory #sterilization #forcedSterilizationsInTheUs #forcedSterilizations #saraRosasGarcia #IQTests #IQScore #andreaGarcia #Evolution #Genetics #sirFrancisGalton #margaretSanger #henryHGoddard #reproduction #holocaust #nazis #naziGermany #naziEugenics #racialHygiene