Why did the ideas of Social Darwinism appeal to so many Americans in the late 19th century?

Abstract

Tracing the philosophical underpinnings of scientific racism from the early work of hereditarians Darwin, Spencer, and Sumner, to the intelligence testing movement led by Galton and Binet, and lastly to the contemporary race and IQ studies of Jensen, Herrnstein, and Murray, this article maintains that science is often used as a justification to propose, project, and enact racist social policies. It begins with a review of the philosophy of Social Darwinism and of its assumptions about race and human abilities, and ends by analyzing a largely unbroached theme in this debate: the consequences of scientific racism for dominant groups.

Journal Information

The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a refereed scholarly periodical, was founded at Howard University in 1932 to fill the need for a scholarly journal that would identify and define the problems that characterized the education of Black people in the United States and elsewhere, provide a forum for analysis and solutions, and serve as a vehicle for sharing statistics and research on a national basis. JNE sustains a commitment to a threefold mission: first, to stimulate the collection and facilitate the dissemination of facts about the education of Black people; second, to present discussions involving critical appraisals of the proposals and practices relating to the education of Black people; and third, to stimulate and sponsor investigations of issues incident to the education of Black people.

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The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a scholarly refereed journal, was founded at Howard University in 1932. It is one of the oldest continuously published periodicals by and about Black people. At the time of its inception, however, there was no publication that systematically or comprehensively addressed the enormous problems that characterized the education of Blacks in the United States and elsewhere.

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journal article

The Origins of Social Darwinism in Germany, 1859-1895

Journal of the History of Ideas

Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul., 1993)

, pp. 469-488 (20 pages)

Published By: University of Pennsylvania Press

https://doi.org/10.2307/2710024

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2710024

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Journal Information

Since its inception in 1940, the Journal of the History of Ideas (JHI) has served as a medium for the publication of research in intellectual history that is of common interest to scholars and students in a wide range of fields. It is committed to encouraging diversity in regional coverage, chronological range, and methodological approaches. JHI defines intellectual history expansively and ecumenically, including the histories of philosophy, of literature and the arts, of the natural and social sciences, of religion, and of political thought. It also encourages scholarship at the intersections of cultural and intellectual history -- for example, the history of the book and of visual culture.

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The University of Pennsylvania Press exists to publish meritorious works that advance scholarly research and educational objectives. The chief task of the staff of the Press is to continue building a publishing program that is influential and innovative, a program that addresses the needs of scholars, teachers, students, professionals, and the broader community of readers.

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Journal of the History of Ideas © 1993 University of Pennsylvania Press
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Social Darwinism was the product of late nineteenth-century economic and political expansion. As the European and American upper class sought to extend its economic and political power, it employed scientific explanations to justify the increasingly obvious gap between rich and poor.

Who did Social Darwinism appeal to?

Social Darwinism is the application of Darwin's theory of natural selection to society- specifically in economics and business in America. Social Darwinism was embraced by the nation's wealthy upper class in the late 19th century to justify their accumulation of wealth and power.

What was the impact of Social Darwinism?

With Social Darwinism gaining popularity, inequality gained a strong foothold in the society driven by concepts of eugenics and racism. Around the 1900s, sizable populations around the world believed that the quality of human race should be improved by privileging the best human specimens (including themselves).

Why was Social Darwinism important to the new imperialism?

Why was Social Darwinism important to the new imperialism. Social Darwinism was used to justify the expansion of European countries into less developed nations. The reasoning was that more successful countries were that way for a reason which helped to make sense of them conquering other nations.