Sex, Race and Science

This study explores the theory and practice of eugenics in the American South. The author shows how the quest for "strong bloodlines" expressed itelf in state laws and public policies, many of which remain controversial to the present day.

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This study explores the theory and practice of eugenics in the American South. The author shows how the quest for "strong bloodlines" expressed itelf in state laws and public policies, many of which remain controversial to the present day - such as state control over sexuality and reproduction, the rights of disabled people and of ethnic minorities, and legal questions raised by new discoveries in genetics and medicine. The book describes how the seemingly broad-based eugenics movement was in fact a series of distinct campaigns for legislation at the state level - campaigns that could often be traced to the efforts of a small group of determined individuals. Explaining how these efforts shaped state policies, it places them within a broader cultural context by describing the workings of southern State legislatures, the role played by women's clubs and the distinctly Southern cultural forces that helped or hindered the implementation of eugenic reforms.