Deep Dark Secrets of Eugenics

During the 20^th century the American Eugenics Society was an organization formed and began in the United States. The separation of mentally ill and deemed to be lesser people from society was attempted to “cleanse the race” and create a more useful human race. The individuals who had been separated from people labeled as normal were forced to be sterilized so they could not reproduce.

Interracial marriage was frowned upon and forbidden during these troubling and cruel times. Theories behind the sterilization practice came from the work of Charles Darwin and his cousin, Sir Francis Galton. Galton believed if the “best and brightest” humans married and reproduced, the human race would be elevated. White Americans were intrigued by the idea of perfecting the human race. Improving the genetic quality of the human population was the goal of violating helpless individuals’ basic human rights.

At the height of the movement, thirty states which adopted legislation that legalized the sterilization of humans deemed unfit for reproduction. The victims of this forced act were considered mentally ill or deficient in some other way. A whopping  60,000 people are estimated to have been victims of forced sterilization in America. These state sanctioned procedures were often performed before it became legal. Many states’ records appear incomplete or altered, which means the accurate number of sterilized individuals will never be known. Many races along with both genders were subjected to these wrongful acts.

Virginia had an estimated 8,300 sterilizations. About half of the sterilized victims were labeled as mentally ill. Targeted groups included mongrels, minorities, and poor whites. Mongrels in Virginia were described as people who have any ancestors of any race but Caucasian, excluding 1/16^th or less of Native American blood. African Americans constituted 22% of forced sterilizations in Virginia. Other groups included World War II veterans who suffered from mental problems and alcoholism.

Right down the street, Eastern State Hospital lies in the center of Williamsburg with a past many people are not aware of. Some sterilizations took place at thislocal mental hospital that many Williamsburg residents drive by every day. Virginia’s highest numbers of sterilizations took place in Lynchburg, at the Virginia Colony for Epileptic and Feebleminded. This institution began as a place to house epileptics who had previously been put in prisons and treated as criminals. Western State Hospital, located in Staunton, Virginia, was the second largest sterilization institution after Lynchburg. Virginia Central State Mental Hospital in Petersburg had fewer sterilizations, and the hospital is now identified as a rehabilitation facility under the same name. Southwestern State Hospital, formerly known as Southwestern Lunatic Asylum, makes no claims to having participated in sterilization practices.

Following the long years of unfair acts upon misunderstood and misjudged individuals, the Virginia General Assembly met in 2001. They passed a joint resolution which apologized for the misuse of a “respectable ‘scientific’ veneer to cover the activities of those who had extreme racist views.” Much regret and remorse was expressed regarding the experience with eugenics, and compensation and justice were provided for the victims.