Roosevelt, Theodore
Roosevelt, Theodore

Roosevelt, Theodore

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the twenty-sixth president of the United States and the recipient of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

Roosevelt was an advocate of eugenic interventions that prevented individuals with undesirable traits from reproducing (Black, 2003). For example, Roosevelt encouraged sexual sterilization for criminals and individuals with certain cognitive disabilities (the so-called ‘feeble-minded’) (Roosevelt, 1914). Roosevelt feared that if eugenic actions were not taken, the United States would be committing ‘race suicide’, meaning that the American race would deteriorate (Dyer, 1980; Larson, 1991).

Interestingly, Oliver Wendell Holmes—a man personally appointed to the supreme court by Roosevelt—was responsible for upholding compulsory sexual sterilization laws in the United States (Larson, 1991).

-Natalie Ball

  • Dyer, T. G. (1992). Theodore Roosevelt and the idea of race. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press.

  • Larson, E. J. (1991). Belated progress: The enactment of eugenic legislation in Georgia. Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences, 46(1), 44-64.

  • Roosevelt, T., & Hagedorn, H. (1914). Twisted eugenics. The Outlook, 106, 30-34.

Roosevelt, Theodore

Roosevelt, Theodore

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the twenty-sixth president of the United States and the recipient of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

Roosevelt was an advocate of eugenic interventions that prevented individuals with undesirable traits from reproducing (Black, 2003). For example, Roosevelt encouraged sexual sterilization for criminals and individuals with certain cognitive disabilities (the so-called ‘feeble-minded’) (Roosevelt, 1914). Roosevelt feared that if eugenic actions were not taken, the United States would be committing ‘race suicide’, meaning that the American race would deteriorate (Dyer, 1980; Larson, 1991).

Interestingly, Oliver Wendell Holmes—a man personally appointed to the supreme court by Roosevelt—was responsible for upholding compulsory sexual sterilization laws in the United States (Larson, 1991).

-Natalie Ball

  • Dyer, T. G. (1992). Theodore Roosevelt and the idea of race. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press.

  • Larson, E. J. (1991). Belated progress: The enactment of eugenic legislation in Georgia. Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences, 46(1), 44-64.

  • Roosevelt, T., & Hagedorn, H. (1914). Twisted eugenics. The Outlook, 106, 30-34.