Social Darwinism applies Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to human
             beings, contending that throughout its history, human society has operated
             like a jungle where only the fittest'[1] survived. The theory was first
             propagated by Herbert Spencer, a 19th century English sociologist, who
             believed that such a process of seemingly cruel human evolution carried
             important long-term benefits for the human society and should not be
             interfered with. Social Darwinism did not find widespread acceptance in
             Britain or Europe but was enthusiastically supported in the United States
             of late nineteenth and early twentieth century especially by the elite
             intellectuals and some influential businessmen. In this paper we shall take
             a detailed look at Social Darwinism and explore its impact on the American
             Origins of Social Darwinism
             Charles Darwin was an English biologist who captured the attention of
             the world when he published his thesis about evolution, On the Origin of
             Species in 1859. Although theories of evolution had existed for centuries,
             Darwin's theory of "natural selection" was an innovative hypothesis that
             evoked considerable interest. However, Darwin had purposely avoided
             applying "natural selection" to human societies. Other intellectuals, most
             notably Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), seized upon Darwin's theory and made
             it the philosophical foundation[2] for "Social Darwinism." (Schultz)
             Spencer opined that human beings, like animals and plants, are engaged
             in a struggle for existence in which natural selection results in "survival
             of the fittest." He opposed government intervention in the "natural"
             processes of human evolution, e.g., welfare for the poor, public education,
             and government healthcare, as he believed that such interference helped
             weak humans to survive and thus undermined the health of the entire human
             race. The Social Darwinists we...