Documentary Style
HistoricalThe Eugenics Crusade
The American eugenics story most never learned. PBS traces how science became forced sterilization, why WWII ended it, and how the impulse persists in nationalism and genetic enhancement.
Year
2018
Type
film
Runtime
113 min
Language
English
Director
Michelle Ferrari
Genres
Summary
In the early 20th century, the United States led a mainstream campaign to breed a "better" race. It wasn't fringe science—it was taught at Harvard, funded by Carnegie, and upheld by the Supreme Court.
This PBS documentary traces the American eugenics movement from the 1920s through its collapse after World War II. The film reveals how the movement targeted immigrants, the poor, and the disabled with labels like "moron" and "feebleminded." The 1927 Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision declared "three generations of imbeciles are enough," authorizing forced sterilization that affected tens of thousands.
A sobering warning that echoes today—from rising nationalism to designer babies, the impulse to control human evolution through science never fully disappears.