American eugenics society

The Second International Conference on Eugenics, held in New York in 1921, produced one concrete result: the American Eugenics Society. Although the eugenics movement had been gaining strength in the United States for over a decade, there was at the time no formal organization through which to pursue its broader political and educational agenda. As a result, a group of prominent eugenicists founded the Eugenics Committee of the U.S.A., which became the Eugenics Society of America, and finally, in 1925, the American Eugenics Society (AES).

From its base in New Haven, Connecticut, the AES soon attracted the support of nearly every major American eugenicist and for the first decade of its existence, at least, was very successful at promoting eugenic ideas to the American public. More an advocacy group than a scientific organization, the AES promoted its ideals of racial betterment, eugenic health, and genetic education through public lectures, conferences, publications, and exhibits at county and state fairs. Among its most popular promotions were a contest for the best sermon on eugenic theme and a series of "fitter family contests" in which participants' families (divided into small, medium, and large family classes) were ranked based on information provided on the mental, physical, and moral health of family members. The AES also sponsored eugenic health exhibits, featuring such exhibits as Mendel's Theater, a presentation of basic principles of genetics and heredity, and the "flashing light exhibit," a board titled "Some people are born to be a burden to the rest," on which lights were set to blink at periodic intervals representing how often a "defective" was born in the United States (rapid blinking) and how often a "high grade" individual was born (slow blinking).

Beginning in the 1930s, the AES began a slow transformation into a less programmatic organization. This figure most often credited with bringing about this shift was Frederick Osborn, Secretary of the Society from 1928 until 1972. Osborn had a clear impact on the reformulation of AES policies and a greater focus on issues of population control, genetics, and, later, medical genetics.

During the early 1950s, the AES left New Haven for New York City, taking offices and funding from the Population Council. They remained active in promoting scientific investigation into eugenic topics, sponsoring five conferences at Princeton University between 1964 and 1969 on population genetics and demography, and drawing an international cast of scientists. In 1972, the Society was reorganized and rechristened the Society for the Study of Social Biology. Its journal, Eugenics: A Journal of Race Betterment, was renamed Social Biology .

From the guide to the American Eugenics Society Papers, 1916-1973, (American Philosophical Society)