My name is Manu Onteeru, a member of the Class of 2024 at Dartmouth College and the Spring 2024 Rauner Library Historical Accountability Student Research Fellow. As a part of my term-long research into Dartmouth's engagement and research with the eugenics movement, I hoped to create a public-facing site to share my research findings and conclusions.
Eugenics is a sociopolitical movement that emerged during late 19th and early 20th centuries with the goal of improving the "genetic quality" of the human population. It was based on the idea that certain traits, such as intelligence, physical strength, and moral character, were hereditary and could be selectively bred for. Eugenicists advocated for policies and practices aimed at promoting the reproduction of individuals with desirable traits while limiting or preventing the reproduction of those deemed "undesirable." These included policies ranging from incentivizing "genetically superior" individuals to reproduce to forced sterilization and abortion.
In the United States, the eugenics movement gained popularity in the early 20th century, fueled by the growing interest in genetics and the belief in social Darwinism. Influential figures like Charles Davenport and Harry Laughlin promoted eugenic principles and argued for measures such as compulsory sterilization of individuals deemed unfit for reproduction, including those with mental illnesses, disabilities, or criminal tendencies.
The eugenics movement in the United States led to the passage of laws in many states allowing for the forced sterilization of thousands of individuals deemed "unfit." These policies disproportionately targeted marginalized groups, including people of color, immigrants, and those living in poverty. Although the eugenics movement declined in popularity after World War II due to its association with Nazi atrocities, its legacy persists, reminding us of the dangers of using science to justify discriminatory and oppressive practices.
The goal of my work was to articulate the relationship between Dartmouth - both with its faculty and as an institution - and the broader eugenics movement, primarily within the time period of the early 20th century. Several peer institutions, including Harvard University and the University of Vermont, were widely known to have several research and advocacy programs within the discipline. On these grounds, I hoped to complete the first project of its kind using materials in the Rauner Library's archives to better understand the nature of Dartmouth's engagement with eugenics. Doing so is critical to recognize Dartmouth's mistakes in history; such documentation is one of the only ways to move towards a more equitable, inclusive institution for all.
While the nature of Dartmouth's engagement in the eugenics movement is limited in scope, this site includes all materials I was able to find through close archival research through a quarter of full-time research at the Rauner Library. Publishing my findings, as well as additional materials I found useful in my own personal learning, will hopefully shed light on historical inequities at Dartmouth in both the education of its students and the research and advocacy of a small number of its faculty members. While these inequities paled in comparison to many other universities, it is still important to acknowledge the role of Dartmouth in the promotion of eugenic ideologies in the early 20th century.