Unfit: Eugenics on the Northern Great Plains

Abstract

The early twenty-first century saw the emergence of the eugenics movement in the United States, which culminated in the sterilization of people with mental or physical disabilities. State institutions across the country were weaponized against these citizens due to the perception that they were “unfit” to be parents. Recent scholarship on the topic has sought to uncover this history. This study seeks to uncover this past in both North and South Dakota as well as offer an alternative avenue for examining the topic with Canton Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians. Both states provide instances that confirm the current scholarship on the topic as well as push against it. The Canton Asylum offers a new avenue for historians to examine how eugenics influence medicine and minority communities. Ultimately, the eugenic past of both states continues to be reflected in both the physical landscape and minds of their citizens to this day.