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Role of women in society.
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The American Eugenics Party (AEP) was founded in Los Angeles, California in the 1960s and held meetings in Long Beach and Santa Barbara. It was a racist right-wing organization that used the pseudo-scientific belief of Eugenics to justify its own beliefs and political platform. Members of the party included Samuel Andrisani, who was the party's primary spokesperson and Education Manager, as well as John S. Vanders who was the party's Public Relations Manager. Robert Henderon was the party's chairman of the race relations committee. Samuel Andrisani was born in Lackawana, N.Y. ca. 1930 and served in the Army Medical Corps. In 1965 he was the owner of Trailhider Manufacturing Co., a business that made animal accessories. Although he held a master's degree in education, he stated that he wasn't teaching as he felt the education system needed reform.
Tenets of the party's platform included the importance of racial purity, anti-immigration legislation, the intention to unite all "Caucasian stocks" to fight against the "non-Caucasian genetic threat", limiting government positions to those who pass an AEP test, "incentive economics", limited roles for women, neutrality on the concept of God, access to education based on "hereditary mental ability", limiting media on "dysgenic acts", removing "white defectives" (White people who are not eugenicists) from political positions, eliminating violence-type sports such as boxing, enacting anti-vice laws, enacting environmental legislation, and ensuring only "eugenic marriages" (marriages in which the couple are matched in terms of race, intellect, etc.).
Samuel Andrisani ran under the American Eugenics Party banner in the 1965 L.A. board of Education, Office number 2, election. His campaign speech indicated that crime, poverty, drop-outs and other social problems are hereditary and advocated that all Black people be "sent back to Africa". His vision for the school district was that the "unequal not be regarded as equal, honest and disclosed grades, that uncensored test information as to race and socio-economic status is a public right, graded diplomas, that the problem of overcrowded classrooms be solved by ''offspring control," and that more money should be spent on gifted children and less on the non-gifted." In the speech, Samuel also distanced the AEP from the Nazis by stating that the AEP was accepting of Jewish People. He received 2 votes in the election. Also in 1965, Albert Andrisani (brother of Samuel) appeared on KTTV's Louis Lomax show to discuss eugenics.
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Publication from the American Eugenics Party on their stance on the role of women in society. The AEP belief is that women are "deviating from their proper role in society" and that the demands of feminism were more than necessary to correct any injustices imposed on women. The AEP proposes that women are not the same or the opposite of men, but that similarities, opposites and compliments exist. The AEP believes that women being given the vote has directly lead to the downfall of society towards socialism. Women are also unable to do "inventive research" and can only do "discovery research" that helps men. Women are also more materially orientated, passive, trusting, and more sympathetic for the weak. The AEP does not believe in women having the right to vote, or occupy leadership positions in society. Instead, the AEP says that women have a role in society, but one that suits their abilities. The AEP uses what they consider to be scientific evidence to back up their points. Some of the scientific evidence includes that women have smaller brains, that women only do well on IQ tests when the questions are geared toward their strengths (such as social questions), that women don't received as many advanced degrees, that most women who work are clerical workers, that all major inventions have been by men, that dysgenics has increased since women were given the vote, that the first women's political party was formed to help free enslaved people, that most interracial marriages are a white woman and a Black man, that women are more similar to animals, and that there are sex-linked characteristics. The AEP also offers reasons as to why it is detrimental to women that they are no longer in traditional roles. These include: women have increased mental health illness and suicidal attempts, women cause traffic accidents, women are too suggestible, and that women not being in traditional roles increases "family disharmony".
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Purchased in 2025 from David Anthem, Bookseller.
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- English
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All the materials in this collection espouse racist, sexist and ableist beliefs under the justification of the pseudo-science "eugenics" and scientific racism. There are racist and offensive references made to Black people, Arabic people, Asian people, women, people with mental illness, and anyone who does not believe in racial segregation. There are derogatory statements and depictions throughout the publications that may be deeply upsetting or triggering.
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Created by JB Nov. 2025
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- English