Scientific Racism

In the 19th and 20th centuries, scientific racism served as one of the most effective methods in the justification of racism and unethicality. Pseudoscientific methods, such as craniology, and biased statistical studies formed the main basis of its core beliefs

Gliddon, Nott. "Types of mankind or ethnological researches, based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological, and biblical history" (Nott, Gliddon, 1854). 1854. Historical Foundations of Race,

Screenshot 2025-01-27 at 12.41.02 PM.png

Galton's, Francis. "Blumenbach’s five races, from his De generis humani varietate nativa (Tab. II): Mongolian, American, Caucasian, Malay, Aethiopian (left to right)." Penn Museum

Morton, Samuel George. An 1839 drawing by Samuel George Morton of "a Negro head …, a Caucasian skull …, a Mongol head". 1839. History of anthropometry, 

"Sobel, Andrew. Health, Disease, and Illness." 17 June 2004

Arguments for scientific racism often assumed races to be different species. Social Darwinism, a misapplication of Darwin's laws of evolution, was an example of such. People asserted that certain races–such as Black Americans–were 'primitive' and unfit for 'complex' white civilization. This ideology served as a foundation behind many harmful stereotypes.

“At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races.”

- Charles Darwin on his theory of evolution, 1859

"Let it be understood that we cannot go outside of this alternative; liberty, inequality, survival of the fittest; not-liberty, equality, survival of the unfittest. The former carries society forward and favors all its best members; the latter carries society downwards and favors all its worst members."

- William G. Sumner, social darwanism supporter, 1914

The Literary Digest. "An alien anti-dumping bill" 7 May 1921

There are many instances in which scientists and doctors applied these theories to justify unethical and discriminatory acts. James Marion Sims, regarded widely as the “Father of Gynecology”, performed experimentation without anesthesia on 12 enslaved women in the 1840s.

Vedantam, Shankar, and Maggie Penman. "Illustration of Dr. J. Marion Sims with Anarcha by Robert Thom. Courtesy of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Pearson Museum." 16 Feburary 2016. Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology,

Kurtz, William. "J. Marion Sims (January 25, 1813 – November 13, 1883)."

"For this purpose I was fortunate in having three young healthy colored girls given to me by their owners in Alabama."

- J. Marion Sims, 1884

The unethical surgeries were done without proper consent and driven by the harmful myth that black people were less sensitive to pain than white people.

South Carolina Encyclopedia. "Sims Speculum." 1884

Similarly, the Mississippi Appendectomy in the 1920s involved the involuntary sterilization of poor Black women. This practice reflected Eugenics that proposed the elimination of 'undesirables' to 'perfect' the human race.

Carson, Clayborne. "Fannie Lou Hamer Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegate Fannie Lou Hamer testifying before the credentials committee at the Democratic National Convention." August 22, 1964. Fannie Lou Hamer,

“In the North Sunflower County Hospital, I would say about six out of the 10 Negro women that go to the hospital are sterilized with the tubes tied.”

- Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist

Genetics Generation. "Logo of the Second International Congress of Eugenics." 1921

Thesis

The 1929 Study