With significant post-war activity
57-797: Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 The Eugenics Record Office ( ERO ), located in Cold Spring Harbor, New York , United States , was a research institute that gathered biological and social information about the American population, serving as a center for eugenics and human heredity research from 1910 to 1939. It was established by the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Station for Experimental Evolution, and subsequently administered by its Department of Genetics. Both its founder, Charles Benedict Davenport , and its director, Harry H. Laughlin , were major contributors to
114-556: A distinction between biological heredity and the environment. He claimed social factors were largely dismissed by eugenicists. Economist Joseph M. Gillman criticized the statistical analysis and research methodology of the ERO's work, arguing that there were rudimentary statistics errors, as well as selection bias . For instance, Harry H. Laughlin asserted that various forms of "degeneracy" were innate to certain racial groups of recent immigrants by looking at populations in asylums and homes for
171-658: A head of the ERO due to Laughlin's extensive knowledge about breeding and the implementation of this knowledge in humans. Under the direction of Laughlin, the ERO advocated laws that led to the forced sterilization of many Americans it categorized as 'socially inadequate'. The endeavors of the Eugenics Record Office were facilitated by the work of various committees. The Committee on Inheritance of Mental Traits included among its members Robert M. Yerkes and Edward L. Thorndike . The Committee on Heredity of Deafmutism included Alexander Graham Bell. Harry H. Laughlin
228-598: A library on the site in 1958 and recreated the façade of the old LCP building. APS restored the former Farmers' & Mechanics' Bank building at 425–29 Chestnut Street , which was built in 1854–55 to the design of John M. Gries in the Italianate style , to serve as a lecture hall. It is the site of meetings and most major events the society hosts. The Constance C. and Edgar P. Richardson Hall at 431 Chestnut Street, immediately west of Benjamin Franklin Hall,
285-543: A result the ERO was ordered to stop all work. In 1939 the Carnegie Institution's new president, Vannevar Bush , forced Laughlin's retirement and withdrew funding for the ERO entirely, leading to its closure at the end of that year. Superintendent Harry H. Laughlin , formerly a school superintendent in Iowa, held a position akin to that of an assistant director of the ERO. Charles Davenport appointed Laughlin as
342-440: A variety of outlets. These included a journal called Eugenical News , posters with propaganda full messages about intelligent breeding, and pamphlets with information on the movement. Eugenics was and continues to be a controversial issue due to the pressure radical eugenicists put on the government to pass legislation that would restrict the liberties of the people who had traits that could be considered undesirable. Specifically,
399-782: Is a collection of indigenous language documents from around the United States including recordings of the Odawa language from northern Michigan. APS has created a guide to help provide broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections at the Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society. These materials date from 1553 to 2020 and include manuscript, audio, and visual materials relating to Indigenous peoples throughout
456-458: Is hereby authorized to perform, or cause to be performed by some capable physicians or surgeon, the operation of sterilization on any such patient confined in such institution afflicted with hereditary forms of insanity that are recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy; provided that such superintendent shall have first complied with the requirements of this act. 2. Such superintendent shall first present to
513-474: The General Assembly of Virginia in 1988 and amended in 2013, provides the procedural requirements necessary for a physician to lawfully sterilize a patient capable of giving informed consent and incapable of giving informed consent. A physician may perform a sterilization procedure on a patient if the patient is capable of giving informed consent, the patient consents to the procedure in writing, and
570-593: The University of California, Berkeley . Ten academic institutions have each been affiliated with 50 or more members: In 1786, the society established the Magellanic Premium , a prize for achievement in "navigation, astronomy , or natural philosophy," the oldest scientific prize awarded by an American institution, which it still awards. Other awards include the Barzun Prize for cultural history ,
627-445: The field of eugenics in the United States . Its mission was to collect substantial information on the ancestry of the American population, to produce propaganda that was made to fuel the eugenics movement, and to promote the idea of race-betterment. The eugenics movement was popular and viewed as progressive in the early-twentieth-century United States. Charles Davenport was one of the leaders of this campaign and avidly believed that it
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#1732766148283684-604: The humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. It was founded by the polymath Benjamin Franklin and is considered the first learned society founded in what became the United States. Philosophical Hall , the society's headquarters and a museum, is located just east of Independence Hall in Independence National Historical Park . In 1965, in recognition of
741-600: The APS's own collections, along with objects on loan from other institutions. In 1789–90, the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) built its headquarters directly across 5th Street from APS. In 1884 LCP sold its building, which was demolished for the expansion of the Drexel & Company Building in 1887. This building was demolished in the mid-1950s, during the creation of Independence National Historical Park. APS built
798-531: The Americas. The society also has a collection of manuscripts on the history of the British colonies, Revolutionary War, the history of American science, quantum physics, Charles Darwin and evolution, genetics and the history of technology. Philosophical Hall , at 104 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, immediately south of Old City Hall , was built in 1785–1789 to house
855-778: The Assembly agreed to compensate individuals sterilized under the act. During the early 20th century, Harry H. Laughlin, director of the Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor, New York , became concerned that states were not enforcing their eugenics laws. In 1922, he published his book, Eugenical Sterilization in the United States , which included a "MODEL EUGENICAL STERILIZATION LAW" in Chapter XV. By 1924, 15 states had enacted similar legislation; however, unlike Virginia, many or most or all of those states failed to rigidly enforce their laws requiring specific qualities in all persons seeking to marry. Forced sterilization, however,
912-617: The Buddhist and Taoist religions. 40°51′12″N 73°28′23″W / 40.85323°N 73.47304°W / 40.85323; -73.47304 Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 The Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 was a U.S. state law in Virginia for the sterilization of institutionalized persons "afflicted with hereditary forms of insanity that are recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy”. It greatly influenced
969-548: The Carnegie Institute to establish the ERO. He was well connected to wealthy people during the time and he lobbied them to finance his vision of the ERO. The ERO was financed primarily by Mary Harriman (widow of railroad baron E. H. Harriman ), the Rockefeller Foundation , and then the Carnegie Institution until 1939. In 1935, the Carnegie Institution sent a team to review the ERO's work, and as
1026-576: The ERO closed in December 1939 in part due to the disapproval it received. The information that had been collected by the ERO was distributed amongst other genetic research based organizations and collections services. The ERO's reports, articles, charts, and pedigrees were considered scientific facts in their day, but have since been discredited. In 1944, its records were transferred to the Charles Fremont Dight Institute for
1083-490: The ERO dedicated its resources to the restriction of immigrants and the forced sterilization of individuals deemed to have undesirable characteristics. They promoted their ideas through the distribution of propaganda that came in the form of images and information packets. Something else that caused tension within and surrounding the ERO was Harry H. Laughlin's radical policy suggestions. He was known for presenting fraudulent evidence to support policies of forced sterilization and
1140-403: The ERO had other methods of collecting these questionnaires such as sending them through the mail, and promoting them as methods for families to learn about their genetic lineage and family history. The research collected by these field workers provided much of the information which facilitated the passage of several laws during the 1920s. The ERO disseminated its information and its message via
1197-936: The Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation, the Benjamin Franklin Medal , the Lashley Award for neurobiology , the Lewis Award, and the Thomas Jefferson Medal for distinguished achievement in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. The society has published the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society since 1771. Five issues appear each year. The Proceedings have appeared since 1838; they publish
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#17327661482831254-793: The Promotion of Human Genetics at the University of Minnesota . When the Dight Institute closed in 1991, the genealogical material was filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah and given to the Center for Human Genetics. The non-genealogical material was not filmed and was given to the American Philosophical Society Library. The American Philosophical Society has a copy of the microfilm as well. Today, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory maintains
1311-590: The Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act and who were living as of February 1, 2015." If the person died on or after February 1, 2015, a claim may be submitted by the estate or personal representative of the person who died. American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society ( APS ) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in
1368-710: The bill did not get past the Appropriations committee in either year. In 2015, Patrick A. Hope reintroduced the Justice for Victims of Sterilization Act, and although the Act did not get past the Appropriations committee, an amendment was added to the budget bill to give compensation of up to $ 25,000 per person who was "involuntarily sterilized pursuant to the Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act." The legislature authorized compensation of up to $ 25,000 per claim to provide compensation for individuals sterilized "pursuant to
1425-536: The building's history, it was designated a National Historic Landmark . The society has about 1,000 elected members. As of April 2020, 5,710 members had been inducted since its creation. Through research grants, published journals, the American Philosophical Society Museum, an extensive library, and regular meetings, the society supports a variety of disciplines in the humanities and the sciences. The American Philosophical Society
1482-509: The data did not match Mendelian genetics. For instance, one main critique was the labeling of heterozygotes. Heterozygotes were sometimes labeled intermediate, while other times heterozygotes were labeled normal. According to the Galton Laboratory, the inconsistency in data showed the carelessness of their approach. Furthermore, a major critic of eugenics, A. M. Carr-Saunders of Britain, mentioned eugenicists were incapable of providing
1539-506: The development of eugenics in the twentieth century. The act was based on model legislation written by Harry H. Laughlin and challenged by a case that led to the United States Supreme Court decision of Buck v. Bell . The Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional and it became a model law for sterilization laws in other states. Justice Holmes wrote that a patient may be sterilized "on complying with
1596-437: The disabled. However, he failed to account for the fact that racial groups of older immigrant communities were more likely to take care of their disabled at home rather than place them in institutions, which was not the case for smaller recent immigrant groups who may not have family in the country to take care of them. Gillman wrote that the errors were so rudimentary that, what prompted both these gentlemen to commit these errors
1653-785: The full historical records, communications and artifacts of the ERO for historical, teaching and research purposes. The documents are housed in a campus archive and can be accessed online and in a series of multimedia websites. The ERO collected research mostly through questionnaires. These questionnaires asked questions which described the characteristics of individual people and their families. These characteristics ranged from physical to temperamental properties. Many of these questionnaires were collected by field workers, usually educated women (who had few other jobs open to them), who would go door-to-door asking people to fill out this information. Many of these women had bachelor's degrees in biology, and graduate school degrees were not uncommon. Additionally,
1710-477: The gene pool from being pervaded by Latino blood. In addition, in 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court claimed that sterilizing disabled citizens does not violate the Constitution. While these laws were ultimately repealed, a large majority of individuals had been already sterilized. Moreover, during the eugenics era, California lawmakers forcibly sterilized thousands of individuals in mental health facilities. The goal
1767-812: The general assembly of Virginia, That whenever the superintendent of the Western State Hospital, or of the Eastern State Hospital, or of the Southwestern State Hospital, or of the Central State Hospital, or the State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded , shall be of opinion that it is for the best interests of the patients and of society that any inmate of the institution under his care should be sexually sterilized, such superintendent
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1824-557: The initial philosophies remained. In a 1976 investigation, the Government Accountability Office found that over 25 percent of Native Americans were forcibly sterilized in the early 1970s. Additionally, in China, many Chinese geneticists sought to improve population quality. Beginning in the 1990s, some Chinese government officials sought to eliminate those with opposing moral values which tend to be influenced by
1881-540: The inmate of his institution named in such petition, the operation of vasectomy if upon a male and of salpingectomy if upon a female. A copy of said petition must be served upon the inmate together with a notice in writing designating the time and place in the said institution, not less than thirty days before the presentation of such petition to said special board of directors when and where said board may hear and act upon such petition — Virginia General Assembly , March 20, 1924 An act, passed by
1938-613: The laws were repealed. Furthermore, the rise of Nazism in the 1930s and their use of and belief in eugenics led to opposition to the American program. The ERO finally being closed in 1939. Harry Laughlin's policies were used in Germany where forced sterilization laws were passed. The result of these laws led to the sterilization of 400,000 individuals. Adolf Hitler also referred to American eugenics in his memoir, Mein Kampf . He claimed non-Aryan races to be subordinate and compulsory sterilization
1995-564: The name American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge . Franklin was elected the first president. During this time, the society maintained a standing Committee on American Improvements; one of its investigations was to study the prospects for a canal to connect the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River . The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal , which had been proposed by Thomas Gilpin, Sr.,
2052-460: The operation of vasectomy and in females by the operation of salpingectomy, both of which said operations may be performed without serious pain or substantial danger to the life of the patient, and Whereas, the Commonwealth has in custodial care and is supporting in various State institutions many defective persons who if now discharged or paroled would likely become by
2109-562: The papers delivered at the society's biannual meetings. The society has also published The Papers of Benjamin Franklin , Joseph Henry , William Penn , and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark . Jane Aitken bound 400 volumes for the society. The society also has an expansive archive on framer of the U.S. constitution John Dickinson . APS holds the ACLS Collection (American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American Languages, American Philosophical Society) which
2166-521: The patient's mental disability renders the patient permanently unable to care for a child, and the procedure conforms with medical standards. In February 2001, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution , introduced by Mitchell Van Yahres , expressing regret for Virginia's experience with eugenics. In the 2002 session, Van Yahres introduced a joint resolution honoring the memory of Carrie Buck. This joint resolution
2223-402: The physician explains the consequences of the procedure and alternative methods of contraception. A court may authorize a physician to perform a sterilization on a mentally incompetent adult or child after the procedural requirements are met and the court finds with clear and convincing evidence the patient is or is likely to engage sexual activity, no other contraceptive is reasonably available,
2280-454: The propagation of their kind a menace to society but who if incapable of procreating might properly and safely be discharged or paroled and become self-supporting with benefit both to themselves and to society, and Whereas, human experience has demonstrated that heredity plays an important part in the transmission of sanity, idiocy, imbecility, epilepsy and crime, now, therefore 1. Be it enacted by
2337-423: The sexual sterilization of inmates of State institutions in certain cases. [S B 281] Whereas, both the health of the individual patient and the welfare of society may be promoted in certain cases by the sterilization of mental defectives under careful safeguard and by competent and conscientious authority, and Whereas, such sterilization may be effected in males by
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2394-676: The society and designed by Samuel Vaughan in the Federal style . A third floor was added in 1890 to accommodate the expanding library, but was removed in 1948–1950, when the building was restored to its original appearance for the creation of Independence National Historical Park . In 2001, it was opened to the public as The American Philosophical Society Museum, hosting revolving, thematic exhibitions that explore intersections of history, art, and science. The museum features works of art, scientific instruments, original manuscripts, rare books, natural history specimens, and curiosities of all kinds from
2451-847: The society. Many members of the Society of the Cincinnati were among the APS's first board members and contributors; the APS and SOC still maintain an informal, collegial relationship. Membership of the APS "honors extraordinary accomplishments in all fields." It has about 1,000 elected members, comprising about 840 "resident" members (United States citizens or those working or living in the United States) and about 160 "international" members. As of April 2020 it had elected 5,710 members since its foundation. Over that history, 208 members have been from Harvard University , 115 from Princeton University , 88 from Stanford University , and 84 from
2508-403: The special board of directors of his hospital or colony a petition stating the facts of the case and the grounds of his opinion, verified by his affidavit to the best of his knowledge and belief, and praying that an order may be entered by said board requiring him to perform or have performed by some competent physician to be designated by him in his said petition or by said board in its order, upon
2565-437: The very careful provisions by which the act protects the patients from possible abuse." Between 1924 and 1979, Virginia sterilized over 7,000 individuals under the act. The act was never declared unconstitutional; however, in 2001, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution apologizing for the misuse of "a respectable, 'scientific' veneer to cover activities of those who held blatantly racist views." In 2015,
2622-447: Was a genetic influence from certain groups of people. For example, anthropologist Franz Boas from Columbia University claimed that Laughlin used racism masquerading as science. Many scholars criticized how data was obtained and further used to justify the claims from the Eugenics Record Office. Major criticism came from the Galton Laboratory. Critics mentioned data obtained by eugenicists lacked an approach free from bias. They also claimed
2679-418: Was apparently their intense desire, of one to associate with, and of the other to dissociate from race the incidence of the various social inadequacies. Facts were therefore selected in such a manner and the methods of interpretation were so chosen as to yield the desired support for their preconceived conclusions. Although the ERO and eugenics movement was prominent in the early to mid twentieth century, many of
2736-807: Was built in the 1820s. Following the American Revolutionary War , the society looked for leadership to Francis Hopkinson , one of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence . Under his influence, the society received land from the government of Pennsylvania, along with a plot of land in Philadelphia, where Philosophical Hall now stands. Charles Darwin , Robert Frost , Louis Pasteur , Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz , John James Audubon , Linus Pauling , Margaret Mead , Woodrow Wilson , Maria Mitchell , and Thomas Edison were all prominent members of
2793-574: Was common at the time for intellectual societies to invite members from around the world, where the society recruited members from other countries, including Alexander von Humboldt , the Marquis de Lafayette , Baron von Steuben , Tadeusz Kościuszko , and Princess Dashkova . The society lapsed into inactivity by 1746, but was revived in 1767. On January 2, 1769, the society united with the American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge under
2850-757: Was founded as the Philosophical Society in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin , James Alexander , Francis Hopkinson , John Bartram , Philip Syng Jr. , and others as an offshoot of an earlier club, the Junto . Early members included: Benjamin Franklin , John Dickinson , George Washington , John Adams , Thomas Jefferson , Alexander Hamilton , James McHenry , Thomas Paine , David Rittenhouse , Peter Stephen Du Ponceau , Nicholas Biddle , Owen Biddle , Benjamin Rush , James Madison , Michael Hillegas , John Marshall , Charles Pettit , and John Andrews . It
2907-442: Was justified in his view as a result. Many government officials who were proponents of the ERO sought to implement forced sterilization laws. For example, Menendez Ramos, governor of Puerto Rico in the 1930s, established sterilization laws for Puerto Rican women. The intent was to battle generational poverty and increase economic utility among Puerto Ricans. Some historians say these laws were implemented in order to supposedly prevent
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#17327661482832964-563: Was known for dogmatism. For instance, after being appointed to House committee for immigration, Harry H. Laughlin attempted to convince the committee that there were lower quality genes coming from southern and eastern parts of Europe. Consequently, the Johnson-Reed Act was passed in 1924 which prevented immigration from these areas. Harry Laughlin also advocated for compulsory sterilization on the state level. Over 35 states approved of these laws and numerous people were sterilized before
3021-457: Was much more common. By 1956, twenty-four states had laws providing for involuntary sterilization on their books. These states collectively reported having forcibly sterilized 59,000 people over the preceding 50 years. Virginia implemented Laughlin's "Model Eugenical Sterilization Law" with little modification two years after it was published. An emergency existing, this act shall be enforced from its passage. Chap. 394. - An ACT to provide for
3078-473: Was necessary to apply Mendelian Genetics principles to humans. Davenport's wife, Gertrude Davenport , was also an important figure in this movement and the establishment of the ERO. Gertrude Davenport was an embryologist and a geneticist who wrote papers with her husband supporting the idea that Mendelian genetics theories applied to humans. Supported by the argument that the eugenics office would collect information for human genetics research, Davenport convinced
3135-709: Was on the Committee on Sterilization, and the Committee on the Heredity of the Feeble Minded included, among others, Henry Herbert Goddard . Other prominent board members included scientists like Irving Fisher , William E. Castle , and Adolf Meyer. In the 1920s, the ERO merged with the Station for Experimental Evolution and adopted the name of the Department of Genetics of the Carnegie Institute. Eventually,
3192-620: Was passed by the House and Senate in February 2002. In the same year, Bob Marshall , introduced a joint resolution referencing the 2001 eugenics resolution and calling for the establishment of a subcommittee to study issues related to stem cell research; however, this resolution did not pass the Rules committee. In 2013 and 2014, Marshall introduced the Justice for Victims of Sterilization Act to give compensation for up to $ 50,000 per person; however,
3249-411: Was to prevent the spread of mental illness in the following generations. Some children were allegedly denied healthcare unless their mothers were forcibly sterilized as well. Many academics criticized the ERO. Herbert Spencer Jennings from Johns Hopkins University criticized Laughlin's data which was used to justify restrictions on immigration. Other critics challenged the claims of eugenicists that there
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