Social Origins of Eugenics. The eugenics movement arose in the 20th century as two wings of a common philosophy of human worth. Francis Galton

, who coined the term eugenics in 1883, perceived it as a moral philosophy to improve humanity by encouraging the ablest and healthiest people to have more children.

When did eugenics start and end?

It began to pervade cultural thought around the globe, including the Scandinavian countries, most other European countries, North America, Latin America, Japan, China, and Russia. In the United States the eugenics movement began during the Progressive Era and remained active through 1940.

When did eugenics start in America?

In America, the eugenics movement began in the 1900s with the work of Charles Davenport, who was a well-known leader of the American eugenics effort. Also known as the father of the American eugenics movement, Davenport was a biologist who conducted early studies on heredity in animals and shifted his focus to humans.