The Last Carolina Girl

The eugenics program in North Carolina stands as a stark and troubling chapter in the history of the United States. From 1929 to 1974, the state sanctioned a eugenics program aimed at preventing the reproduction of individuals deemed unfit or socially undesirable. This program was part of a broader movement that sought to apply principles of selective breeding to humans, influenced by white supremacist beliefs in racial superiority and the desire to engineer a “better” society. Supporters of eugenics spread propaganda through books, pamphlets, and posters at organized social functions and community events like fairs, as Church depicts in her novel. One fair poster uses a farmer’s scrutiny of his animals’ pedigree to justify human eugenics. The American eugenics program served as inspiration for the German Nazis’ theories and practices of “genetic cleansing” of what they deemed “inferior” races.

At its core, eugenics in North Carolina targeted people deemed mentally ill, intellectually disabled, or socially disadvantaged. Under the authority of the Eugenics Board, individuals—often without their complete understanding or consent—were sterilized to prevent them from having children. This practice was justified under the guise of preventing the transmission of undesirable traits to future generations and reducing the burden on society.