His cousin, Francis Galton, was utterly fascinated after reading his publication stating that it “‘made a marked epoch in my own mental development, as it did in human thought generally” (quoted in Gillham, 2001, p. 155)”(115). What first captivated Galton was the biological aspect of evolution, but later, he further investigated the consequences of blood transfusions among rabbits in attempt to resolve whether acquired characteristics could be handed down. The evolutionary implications did not hold Galton’s enthusiasm for long, although, “the social implications guided Galton’s subsequent work and determined his influence on modern psychology”(115). Indeed, Galton published many papers on inheritance including English Men of Science (1874), Natural Inheritance (1889), and Hereditary Genius …show more content…
There was great public concern that the physicians at Ellis Island, an entry point for millions of European immigrants into the United States, were rejecting “mentally retarded people from entering the country”(169). Goddard’s evidence from the mental tests “was later used to support federal legislation restricting the immigration of racial and ethnic groups assumed to be inferior in intelligence”(170). Furthermore, the findings of different levels of racial intelligence received more support when findings of World War I recruits were made public. The findings supported that blacks as well as immigrants from Latin American and Mediterranean countries had lower IQs than whites. This raised concerns among scientists, politicians, and journalists, toying with questions such as: “Should groups with low IQs be allowed to vote? Should the government refuse entry to immigrants from low-IQ countries? How could the notion that all people were created equal be