User:Macie Anderson/eugenic feminism us

Intro: explanation of the three phases of eugenic feminism in the United States.

Phase One

The first phase is about “the Suffrage, freelove and the social purity movements” in the 1880s leading to the formation of eugenic feminism. Some of the books and articles that were published and discussed this movement were the writings of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in which she promoted universal suffrage. Another piece was Moses Harman’s free love periodical called “Lucifer, the Light Bearer,” which was published in the American Journal of Eugenics. The aim of the periodical was to “help women break the chains that for ages have bound her to the rack of man-made law.” Another notable journal of the time discussed social purity: the “Journal of Heredity”, which is about the basis of heredity, and the importance of improving breeding in humans and plants. These movements served as a catalyst for the first phase of the eugenic feminism movement in the United States, as it inspired a social reform in nineteenth century America.

Victoria Woodhull was a prominent advocate of eugenics, likely due to the fact that she and a financial alliance, Cornelius Vanderbilt, both had children with special needs. Woodhull’s child had a mental disability and Vanderbilt’s had been diagnosed with epilepsy. Woodhull also had a husband that was abusive, alcoholic, and disloyal, which she thought that might have contributed to the disability of her son, Byron. With this newly sparked interest in eugenics, Woodhull promoted her thoughts by giving multiple addresses and publishing books. A significant address was made on September 1871, and was titled “Children: Their Rights and Privileges.” In this addresses she claimed that, “a perfect humanity must come of perfect children.” Moreover, she mentioned the importance of having “the best seed,” to be able to have children that can grow into functional adults, the nurturing of parents to children and the wickedness of abortion. With the effort of promoting eugenics by Woodhull, a portion of feminists also started to advocate for eugenics as well. These women thought that there were too many children and supported families that had fewer. In an 1876 speech in New Jersey, Woodhull placed a great importance on eugenics, more than the importance of obtaining the rights for women to vote, mentioning that the women's suffrage was unimportant compared to creating a more superior race.

Phase Two

The second phase began when mainstream eugenics had opposing views with the feminist eugenics in the 1900s. Mainstream eugenicists like Charles Davenport wanted to implement eugenics on a particular race rather than sex.

Phase Three

The third phase, some well-known feminists such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Margaret Sanger debated the notions of eugenics that were set in the twentieth century.

Due to various factors, eugenicists in the early 20th century were concerned that the traditional family was disappearing. In an effort to preserve pure, superior genes, many began advocating sterilization for those who were not of a “sound mind.” The lawsuit, filed by Ann Cooper Hewitt in 1936, fascinated the public and discussed the role that female sexuality played at the time, as well as bringing the legality of the sterilization of minors into question. It was filed by the twenty-one-year-old heiress Ann Cooper Hewitt against her mother, who, Cooper claimed, had instructed two surgeons to sterilize her daughter while performing an appendectomy—without Miss Hewitt’s consent. The cause of the mother’s actions was reportedly due to the results of a mental exam Miss Hewitt took, which had labeled her as feeble minded, although there were financial reasons as well, involving her inheritance. The case was eventually dismissed by Superior Court Judge Tuttle and sterilization was ruled legal, even when it was done to a minor, if done under the consent of the guardian. Progress in equality for women took a hit because it was believed by many in the public that both Mrs. Hewitt and her daughter were unfit to have children. Mrs. Hewitt, because she had failed to raise her daughter correctly, and Miss Hewitt because she was a “high grade moron." Essentially, it was decided that they were not worthy of such a responsibility because they could not conform to the social roles expected of women (both domestically and sexually), and therefore, deserved the consequences.

As a leading feminist author of her time, Charlotte Perkins Gilman also published various feminist literary works, including poems and novels such as: Women and Economics, Herland, With Her in Ourland, His Religion and Hers, and “The Burden of Mothers: A Clarion Call to Redeem the Race!”  In Herland, Gilman champions eugenic feminism by imagining an all-female utopian society made up of women who somehow are able to reproduce asexually. They all descend from a single mother, and therefore, miscegenation was not a problem in her imagined society, neither, it seems, was inheriting undesirable genes, as those who were deemed unfit to reproduce were discouraged from doing so. Gilman’s arguments essentially promote feminism by “representing eugenic ideology as the source” of help. Add Margaret Sanger and contributions