Teaching with Primary Sources: The Eugenics Movement in North Carolina

This class session encourages students to engage with the history and the lasting legacy of the eugenics movement in North Carolina during the 20th century through a critical analysis of primary sources. This session includes many different types of primary sources - such as pamphlets, newspapers, government reports, and more - as well an activity to guide document analysis and class discussion.

• Practice textual and visual analysis using multiple primary source types.
• Question the audience, author, and intended purpose of historical documents.
• Develop an understanding of eugenics in North Carolina (and more broadly) through the use of primary sources.