Modernism: 1900-1945

              History:
- 1909: CA began sterilizing men and woman
- Performed in prisons, without consent
- Apparently it was due to "anti-Asian and "Anti- Mexican" beliefs in CA and "anti-African" beliefs in the South
- In 1914, Harry Laughlin wrote a law stating, that people who needed to be sterilized were the, "...feebleminded, insane, criminalistic, epileptic, inebriate, diseased, blind, deaf; deformed; and dependent" - including "orphans, ne'er-do-wells, tramps, and the homeless and paupers."
- They saw these people as "deficient
- The US sterilized at least 60,000 people
The Nazis BORROWED this idea from AMERICANS in 1933 and they sterilized 350,000 people

What does this info say about Modernism?
- American dream is shot and killed during this era
- Optimism/ hope for the future (then WW2...)
- Independence of the individual made the white man shake in their boots
- Distrust of the government, which is not surprising considering the gov conspired to sterilize any and all minorities for a 'better' race
 - Disillusionment and desire for progress which also led to self-reliance as a coping mechanism



http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/essay8text.html https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-history