Primary Sources: The 1910's: Sanger, Margaret

Contains several articles on eugenics and sterilization.

written by Margaret Sanger

"In “The Civilizing Force of Birth Control,” she addressed middle-class constituencies with the argument that contraception would strengthen marriage. Like many liberal intellectuals of the time, Sanger was a eugenicist—she believed in managing human reproduction to improve “the race” through better breeding. Many eugenicists were concerned about declining fertility among college-educated and middle-class women, even as they also worried about what they saw as the excessive fertility of poorer women. However, unlike many eugenicists who urged elite women to have more children, Sanger argued that birth control for all women would serve the cause of eugenics. This essay appeared in Sex in Civilization (1929), a voluminous collection of commentary that suggested the emergence of a new species of expert—the sexologist. "

Michigan State University digital collection focusing on birth control.

written by Margaret Sanger

Public relations specialist; executive secretary; Director, Meals for Millions; birth control activist; and lobbyist. Major subjects reflected in the Rose papers include the birth control movement in the U.S., relations between African-Americans and Planned Parenthood, the politics of American hunger relief and prevention efforts in developing countries, and the life and legacy of Margaret Sanger. Individuals represented in the papers include Margaret Sanger, Pearl S. Buck, Havelock Ellis, Carrie Chapman Catt, Morris Ernst, Clarence Gamble, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Harriet Pilpel, Emma Goldman, and H.G. Wells. Types of material include correspondence, organizational records, photographs, published and unpublished writings, and speeches.

"The major figure in the American birth control movement, Margaret Sanger, began her crusade as a militant radical whose birth control agitation grew out of her nursing experience in working-class communities. Sanger received 250,000 letters from women asking for advice about birth control. In 1928 Sanger published a selection of the letters in her book Motherhood in Bondage. The letters remain a powerful testament to the vulnerability of women without access to reliable contraception. " This site presents a selection of these letters.

This primary source set explores the eugenics movement to help readers analyze how racism, sexism, classism, and ableism (discrimination against people with disabilities) influenced eugenics laws and programs in the United States.

Woman And The Future - Jan. 25, 1937
Ford Hall Forum Address - April 16, 1929
The Children's Era - March 30,1925
A Moral Necessity for Birth Control – c. 1921-1922
The Morality of Birth Control - Nov. 18, 1921

Birth control advocate and nurse. Sanger, a sex reform activist, fought for women's rights to use contraceptives and founded both the national and international Planned Parenthood Federations. Papers include correspondence, writings, organizational and conference materials documenting her leadership of the American and international birth control movements. Also included are records of activities and events related to Sanger's personal life, tributes, travels, art work, family materials, audio and video recordings, and dozens of photographs.

"The Margaret Sanger Papers Project is a historical editing project sponsored by the Department of History at New York University. The Project was formed by Dr. Esther Katz in 1985 to locate, arrange, edit, research, and publish the papers of the noted birth control pioneer."

The MSRB Records contain correspondence, printed material, clippings, books, glass slides, films, and a library of 59 books on birth control, sexuality, marriage, family, and related topics. Of particular interest are 19th and 20th century pamphlets on birth control, religious views, sex education, methods and early commercial catalogs; writings by and about Margaret Sanger and other pioneers of the birth control movement; and printed material produced by various birth control leagues and clinics in the United States and England.

Delivered 18 November 1921, Park Theatre, NY as "The Morality of Birth Control"
From the Gifts of Speech website

Margaret Sanger on Birth Control

The Pivot of Civilization
Woman and the New Race

written by Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger was president of this organization.

Speech given at the 17th Annual Convention of the Federation Of Jewish Women's Organizations - Hotel Astor, NY (Radio Broadcast Station WMCA, January 25, 1937, 11:45am-12noon
From the Gifts of Speech website

" The chronicle of Sanger’s decades-long battle to legalize and develop information on the prevention of venereal disease and then methods of birth control, during which she endured indictment, exile and prison."