ABSTRACT
Eugenics, a popular movement in early 20th-century America, was originally popularized by Sir Francis Galton. The eugenics movement in the United States infiltrated many sectors of American society and was part of the Progressive Era agenda that investigated the implementation of scientific management to advance society, organizing as a movement during the first two decades of the 20th century. Both Lewis Terman and Leta Hollingworth ascribed to eugenic beliefs, which also bled into their research agendas and views about the role of gifted children in society. The state of California, in which Terman lived for his entire professional career, had a particularly active eugenics agenda and the most aggressive forced sterilization program in the United States during the early 20th century. Terman, too, was an active member of eugenic organizations and is listed as a charter member on The Human Betterment Foundation. Hollingworth, too, openly wrote about eugenic principles and the duty that parents of gifted children had to society.
