ABSTRACT
The work of individuals such as Sir Francis Galton, Henry Yoder, Cesare Lombroso, and Guy M. Whipple–to name just a few–had begun initial investigations but lacked the sophisticated instruments and/or sustained research agendas. Sir Francis Galton's revolutionary studies of intelligence, which measured mental capability and individual differences by gathering evidence regarding adults recognized as having notably contributed to fields such as the arts, science, politics, and scholarship, heavily influenced both Lewis Terman and Leta Hollingworth. Galton's conclusions would feature prominently in Terman's own research as he tried to link previous familial eminence to current high ability and that high ability or genius to guaranteed eminence later in life. Historically Black colleges and universities were identified as the institutions to develop the talent of the top 10%. W. E. B. DuBois easily qualified as a member of the Talented Tenth that he proposed, and his life foreshadowed the path that was laid for this percentage of the population.
