Yeah, it's a real downer of a theme. It brings to mind the Great Depression and The Grapes of Wrath, neither of which arrives all that far after 1925.
Poverty was nothing new in 1925 and it's nothing old today. Poverty and lack of access to birth control coupled with a lack of money to support lots of children has been a big theme forever and ever in American politics and life. Sanger is no more supportive of the poor relying on public assistance for their children's welfare than the average conservative politician.
But in "The Children's Era" she is supportive of providing the poor with birth control to limit the size of their families—and perhaps even in coercing them to do so. Poverty is no laughing matter, but it is kind of funny-weird to think that Sanger was advocating for women's choices even as she had clear ideas about what those choices should be.
Questions About Poverty
- Do Sanger's questionable comments about poor children affect the way we read the rest of her speech?
- How are issues of birth control and poverty linked?
- Why do you think Sanger would say she is so concerned with ensuring parents can adequately support a baby?
- Do you think Sanger would defend her use of the term "human weeds" today?
Chew on This
Sanger's comments about poor children may be offensive, but her concerns about parents being able to support their children are nonetheless valid.
Sanger's speech is a symptom of the concern about policing the sexuality of the poor.