In the 1930s, America believed that some children were born too stupid to ever learn. If your IQ was low, the science of the day said it was hopeless—your blood was “bad.”

Thousands of orphans were locked away in institutions, labeled “feebleminded,” and forgotten. But two young researchers at an Iowa orphanage decided to test that idea… and what they discovered would tear down one of the darkest chapters in American science.

This is the true story of the Orphans of Davenport.

Sources:

Iowa Childrens Home: https://web.archive.org/web/20101230011824/http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=243&nt=207&nt2=239

Book: The Orphans of Davenport: Eugenics, the Great Depression, and the War over Children's Intelligence by Marilyn Brookwood- Buy Book: https://amzn.to/4oS9D2r

https://www.byuradio.org/won-2021-10-14-the-davenport-orphans

https://medium.com/leading-brains-review/two-hopeless-little-girls-abandoned-to-a-mental-institution-with-astounding-results-c9ac9a06ec28

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-iowa-orphans-who-helped-resolve-the-fight-over-childrens-intelligence/2021/08/11/51bde2d6-de75-11eb-b507-697762d090dd_story.html

Interview with Researchers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0bQFsodlf4

https://time.com/archive/6780590/education-nature-v-nurture/

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-11958-020

Papers written by the doctors: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Harold-M-Skeels-2047761714

1939: https://time.com/archive/6760602/medicine-feeble-minded-love/

https://origins.osu.edu/read/sterilization-carrie-buck

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eugenics-finding-carrie-buck/

https://libguides.davenportlibrary.com/c.php?g=757345&p=5430552

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In 1927 one woman’s fate decided the future of thousands. She was labeled “feeble-minded”locked away and put on trial for her future. But recent research reveals that almost everything said about Carrie Buck was a lie—carefully crafted to push a sinister agenda.”

0:00 - Intro

0:29 - Chatty Cathy

1:19 - Eugenics in the United States

3:01 - Carrie’s Early Life

7:26 - Forced Sterilization

10:07 - Harry Laughlin

11:34 - The Trial

15:39 - Sterilization & Life going forward

21:01 - Doris Buck

23:07 - Three Generations, No Imbeciles

24:11 - Lasting Effects

Sources:

1939: https://time.com/archive/6760602/medicine-feeble-minded-love/

https://origins.osu.edu/read/sterilization-carrie-buck

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eugenics-finding-carrie-buck/

https://kera.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex32ec-soc-buckvbell/buck-v-bell-and-eugenics-american-experience/

https://www.press.jhu.edu/newsroom/just-lucky?srsltid=AfmBOooFCdt5QfnmfixNPb1qfqHxInr7HV4kszJEf58cpC4ha6I98Usf

Book (I have not read, but looks intriguing!): https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12262/three-generations-no-imbeciles

https://www.translationalres.com/article/S0022-2143(01)24354-6/fulltext

https://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/eugenics/3-buckvbell/index.html

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In today's episode of History and Hearsay, we are discussing Annie Wittenmyer and all of the amazing work that she did! I hope you enjoy todays episode & maybe even learn something new!
~ Christina
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - 3 Part Series & my cold =)
1:02 - Sarah Annie Turner
3:04 - Move to Iowa
6:23 - Annie’s life - The “Real” story
11:34 - Keokuk Ladies’ Soldiers’ Aid Society
17:02 - The Woman who fed an army
19:37 - Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home
22:04 - Orphan’s Home Evolves
28:41 - Temperance Movement
32:44 - Final Thoughts
►Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110525191459/http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=231&nt=207&nt2=229
Annie’s Book: https://librivox.org/under-the-guns-by-annie-wittenmyer/
https://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/detailspage.aspx?id=415
Was she a Widow or not? https://blogs.davenportlibrary.com/sc/2022/10/13/the-truth-will-out-annie-wittenmyer/
Iowa Childrens Home: https://web.archive.org/web/20101230011824/http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=243&nt=207&nt2=239
https://web.archive.org/web/20101230011824/http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=243&nt=207&nt2=239
https://teachingiowahistory.org/virtual-exhibits/home-soldiers-orphans
https://libguides.davenportlibrary.com/c.php?g=757345&p=5430552
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grant-wittenmyer/
Hymns she wrote: https://hymnary.org/person/Wittenmeyer_Annie#google_vignette
https://history.iowa.gov/media/291/download?inline
Iowa Childrens Home: https://web.archive.org/web/20101230011824/http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=243&nt=207&nt2=239
Book: The Orphans of Davenport: Eugenics, the Great Depression, and the War over Children's Intelligence by Marilyn Brookwood- Buy Book: https://amzn.to/4oS9D2r

Support the show