The 'Lesser Races'
More than just activities and social stature, eugenics also scrutinized the races of individuals when determining how fit they were as members of a better society. Anglo-Saxon whites were espoused as the genetic ideal, and the least disposed to poverty, crime, and squalid work conditions. Other races, even those that had white skin, such as Slavs and some Jews, as well as Irish, were seen as inferiors to their similarly white brethren. Beneath them lay the colored races, such as Indians, Native Americans, Asians, and Blacks.The ‘inferior’ races were seen often as predisposed to carry degeneracy in their genes, if not every one of them innately possessing them. These were based on prejudice, and either relied on existing stereotypes or helped to create them. For example, Native Americans as well as Blacks and Irishmen were seen as quite likely to become alcoholics, not due to their situations, but as a direct result of their genetic heritage.
Race was often drawn across far more arbitrary lines than modern standards, such as separating Northern Italians in classifications from Southern ones, and Cuban from the myriad other Hispanics. Much of does well to show the large extent to which eugenicists were subjective, which left very much room in their findings for opinion substantiated only by the barest measure of factual or thorough information, and often times lacking even that ("Eugenics Archive").
Race was often drawn across far more arbitrary lines than modern standards, such as separating Northern Italians in classifications from Southern ones, and Cuban from the myriad other Hispanics. Much of does well to show the large extent to which eugenicists were subjective, which left very much room in their findings for opinion substantiated only by the barest measure of factual or thorough information, and often times lacking even that ("Eugenics Archive").