Social Darwinism in American History
Social Darwinism in American HistoryToward the end of the 19th century, the United States entered a period of growth and industrialisation. An abundance of natural recourses, cheap labour supply, and a self-sufficient food supply contributed to the industrialisation of the United States. This time was known as the American Industrial Revolution. Due to the growing prosperity of the United States, the American people, in general, adopted a heavily opportunistic and an excessively materialistic view towards life. Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, developed a theory of evolution through the process of natural selection. His ideas were presented to the public through several manuscripts that he wrote towards the late 19th century. The Origin of the species was one such manuscript, in which Darwin presented his idea that species evolve from more primitive species through the process of natural selection. When Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species reached the United States following its publication in 1859, the reading public quickly gave it a popular reception. The Americans had observed the disarray over political issues in the period before and during the Civil War, and had experienced many hardships later durin
Grant, who did nothing to prevent the scandals that disgraced his administration. Eugenics, the study of human heredity, aimed at "improving" the human race, proved to be one of the most enduring aspects of Social Darwinism. Separateness between men and women was also justified by Darwinist ideas. The Senate was also generally comprised of wealthy white men who derived their wealth from capitalistic corporations such as banking. The Senate, on the other hand, was seen as orderly, intelligent and therefore superior to the House of Representatives. from countries that were not racially "pure". The feeling that the American Indians were lesser people originated from colonial times in America. Darwin developed a theory of evolution through natural selection, in which only the fittest would survive. The ideas demonstrated that because there were physical differences between the blacks and the whites and since the whites were in control of the nation, the whites were the "fittest" of the two races, and were thereby justified in their leadership. They were now ready to listen to theories that allowed them to enjoy their great, recently settled continent and the new industries that sprang up within it. The former carries society forwards and favours all its best members; the latter carries society downwards and favours all its worst members"(Hofstadter 51)His statement embodies the belief that, in business, it is inevitable that the "fittest" will survive if left to push themselves without restrictions. These individuals believed in an economic system in which a few individuals, rather than the government, make the majority of the decisions. The United States was made up of a people long familiar with Indian warfare and southern slavery. The act was worded vaguely and consequently, many of the large corporations were able to work around it.
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