Human Betterment League of North Carolina

The Human Betterment League of North Carolina, a voluntary organization founded in 1947, promoted eugenic sterilization and sought to educate the public about the causes and prevention of mental illnesses and handicaps. In its later years, the organization shifted its focus to family planning and genetic counseling, changing its name to the Human Genetics League of North Carolina in 1984. The organization was dissolved at the end of 1988.

From the description of Human Betterment League of North Carolina, Inc. records, 1947-1988 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 26243139

The Human Betterment League of North Carolina was a voluntary organization founded in 1947 to promote the study and prevention of mental handicaps. Shortly after World War II, Clarence J. Gamble, a geneticist from Milton, Mass., became aware of the high rejection rate for service of North Carolina men due to mental disease or deficiency during the war. He provided for a study of the intelligence of school children in rural Orange County, N.C. This study, conducted by A. M. Jordan, professor of Educational Psychology at the University of North Carolina, and a similar study arranged by Winston-Salem industrialist James G. Hanes in the Winston-Salem city schools, revealed what was perceived as a high incidence of mental disabilities in these two North Carolina school systems. Jordan and Hanes organized the Human Betterment League to reduce what they saw as the rising number of mentally disabled people in North Carolina.

In its early years, the League promoted eugenic sterilization. It sought to educate the medical community as well as public officials, civic leaders, and members of the general public about North Carolina's Eugenics Law which allowed for the sterilization of the mentally ill and defective with the approval of the State Eugenics Board. The Human Betterment League was a member of the Human Betterment Federation, formed in 1949 and uniting Human Betterment Leagues in seven states.

In its later years, the Human Betterment League of North Carolina shifted its focus to family planning and genetic counseling. It produced the family planning film Windsong in 1971 and the genetic counseling film Wednesday's Child in 1975. Both films won gold medals in their respective years at the International Film and TV Festival of New York. The organization changed its name to the Human Genetics League in 1984, which existed until 1988.

From the guide to the Human Betterment League of North Carolina, Inc. Records, 1947-1988, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)