Sex, Race, and Science: Eugenics in the deep South

Edward J. Larson joins a growing group of American historians studying the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. His new book traces the origins, development, and demise of eugenics in the deep South: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He succeeds in explaining how three themes — sex, race, and science — largely framed the eugenics movement's major ideas and motivational methods in these states. Using a variety of sources, Larson shows how eugenics was introduced and guided in the region by mental health officials, physicians, and social reformers driven by three goals: preventing the birth of . . .