During the Progressive Era, 1901-1920, the reformers were determined to improve the human race in every aspect. One way they believed was plausible and effective was by creating eugenics which tried to improve the human race by selective breeding and led to efforts to sterilize criminals and the mentally handicapped. Unsuccessfully, the outcome of Francis Galton’s, the one deemed founder of modern eugenics, scientific exploration caused citizens to speculate the statistics behind this movement. For example, the recognized presence of force or compulsion, the idea of having standards reaching perfection, and a possible occurrence of inequalities arising, (Leonard). Eugenics is just one example from the clouded side of the Progressive Era.
The reformers used several techniques to achieve their goal: one solution included the Sterilization Law of 1907 which allowed the state of Indiana to decrease the size of institutions, get rid of undesirable traits, and alleviate financial constraints on the state, (Bruinius, p. 211). Furthermore, this law provided that it was mandatory for all institutions filled with “criminals, idiots, rapists and imbeciles” to be “sterilized,” (General). If the surgeons declare the patient as mentally unstable then the operators remain the right to perform their duty for the “prevention of procreation,” (General). Sequentially, there was a second law passed in regard to the first one in 1913 which allowed for a wider range of people to be sterilized, (Kaelber).
Ultimately, during this time, the most significant factor that resided as unjust was that “there was no legal mechanism for patients to challenge the sterilization order, no written notification required to be sent to the patient of family, and no opportunity for a hearing,” (Kaelber). Finally, in 1921, Indiana Supreme Court ruled the Sterilization Law of 1907 and 1913 unconstitutional because the law denied a citizen full access to the Fourteenth Amendment and this law was reconciled as immoral, (Kaelber). Approximately 2,500 people were sterilized during the Progressive Era for the mere factor of the reformers striving for a more efficient human race. Unfortunately, even though the operations for sterilizing citizens was repealed by the Indiana Supreme Court, it still occurred up until the 80’s.
During this time period, Mary de Garmo established a contest that changed the progressives main focus from the mentally challenged to the possibly impeccable. This contest is better known as the Better Babies Contest which originated in Louisiana then dispersed to Iowa. Specifically, nurses and physicians identified an infant’s physical health, mental health, and physical appearance by judging them in a competition. This development reflected theories that were established during the eugenics movement of the twentieth century (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia). These competitions were held at state fairs which promoted “routine health assessments of children by medical professionals,” (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia). Eventually, people in the United States began to advocate for the eugenics movement once they saw the improvement of the population. However, a few organizations remained constant with their choice of eugenics lying on the dark side such as the Congress of Mothers, headquartered in Washington, DC (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia).
During this contest, infants would be tested periodically on numerous tasks. All babies started with 1,000 points and the judges would deduct points based on their presentations. Any baby that did not receive a withdrawal from their score throughout the entire competition was considered a “perfect baby and was awarded a trophy,” (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia). Not only did this competition strike some as immoral, but it also brought out cynical behavior from the parents just to have there infant receive the most desirable trophy. Ultimately, the better babies contest was designed to manipulate people’s conceptive and child-rearing decisions.
During the Progressive Era, reformers accomplished numerous goals, yet they also enabled discriminatory approaches and adapted to insufferable conditions. These conditions caused a bigger ordeal from the permanent aspect it left on the victims.
