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Rachel Taylor
HIS- 144
April 25, 2019
David Lobb
Darwinism and American Society
The Darwin Theory which is also commonly known as Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution which was developed by the naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) stating that each species of organisms appears and develop through the natural process of little genetic variations that increase the individual’s ability to fight, survive, and reproduce. During the late nineteenth century Darwin’s theory, theory of evolution, eventually lost ground to different scientific explanations for organic revolution. Darwinism was based on the idea that all living things evolved from an environment in which they were introduced to. Darwinism was used to classify individuals as inferior justifying actions against them, but social Darwinism and Eugenics helped form the immigrant experience in America; whereas fundamentalist Christians opposed Darwin.
When individuals are classified as inferior all while justifying their actions against them, this is said to be a form of Social Darwinism. The idea that humans are superior to other animals is based on the belief that they are born with certain characteristics, such as intelligence or physical strength. The human culture evolves by concentrating on cultural differences through a process of survival. It has been said that the strategy of increasing cultural evolution has played a role in advanced human achievements just like the advancement of language, arithmetic, and complicated technology (Boyd & Richerson, 1988, 1996, 2005). It appears the approach during which languages shape and evolve via accumulative cultural evolution depends on people’s observation of linguistic behavior in their setting.
However, social Darwinism and eugenics is what helped form the immigrant experience in America. In 1883 Sir Francis Galton, who is the cousin or Charles Darwin, came up with the term eugenics which defines as “the cultivation of race,” or “the science of improving stock” (Galton, F., 1883). As the plan of eugenics took dominance over citizens, scientists, and socialists ended up supporting the cause which was later established as the eugenics record. The record tracked families and their genetic traits declaring that the majority of the individuals were examined as unfit immigrants, minorities, or poor. The eugenics record was in addition claimed that there was clear proof that apparently negative family traits were...
