Theodore Lothrop Stoddard (June 29, 1883 – May 1, 1950) was an American historian, journalist, political scientist, conspiracy theorist, white supremacist, and white nationalist. Stoddard wrote several books which advocated

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior o ...

and

scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.. "Few tragedies ...

, including '' The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy'' (1920). He advocated a

racial hierarchy A racial hierarchy is a system of stratification that is based on the belief that some racial groups are superior to other racial groups. At various points of history, racial hierarchies have featured in societies, often being formally institut ...

which he believed needed to be preserved through anti-miscegenation laws. Stoddard's books were once widely read both inside and outside the United States. He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, where his books were recommended reading. He was also a member of the

American Eugenics Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

as well as a founding member (along with Margaret Sanger) and board member of the

American Birth Control League The American Birth Control League (ABCL) was founded by Margaret Sanger in 1921 at the First American Birth Control Conference in New York City. The organization promoted the founding of birth control clinics and encouraged women to control thei ...

. Stoddard's work influenced the

Nazi government The government of Nazi Germany was totalitarian, run by the Nazi Party in Germany according to the Führerprinzip through the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany began with the fact that the Enabling Act was enacted to give Hitler's gover ...

of Germany. His book ''The Revolt Against Civilization: The Menace of the Under-man'' (1922) introduced the term

Untermensch ''Untermensch'' (, ; plural: ''Untermenschen'') is a Nazi term for non-Aryan "inferior people" who were often referred to as "the masses from the East", that is Jews, Roma, and Slavs (mainly ethnic Poles, Serbs, and later also Russians). The ...

(the German translation of Under-man) into Nazi conceptions of race. As a journalist he spent time in Germany during the first months of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, where he interviewed several prominent Nazi officials. After the end of the war, Stoddard's writing faded from popularity.

Early life and education

Stoddard was born in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, the son of

John Lawson Stoddard John Lawson Stoddard (April 24, 1850 – June 5, 1931) was an American lecturer, author and photographer."John Lawson Stoddard." ''Dictionary of American Biography'', Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. ''Gale In Context: Biography'', Accessed 23 May ...

, a prominent writer and lecturer, and his wife Mary H. Stoddard. He attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating ''magna cum laude'' in 1905, and studied law at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

until 1908. Stoddard received a Ph.D. in

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1914.

Career

Stoddard was a member of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

, the American Political Science Association, and the

Academy of Political Science The Academy of Political Science is an American non-profit organization and publisher devoted to cultivating non-partisan, objective analysis of political, social, and economic issues. It is headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City ...

. In 1923, an exposé by ''

Hearst's International ''Cosmopolitan'' is an American monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a wom ...

'' revealed that Stoddard was a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), and had been acting as a consultant to the organization. A letter from the KKK to members had praised ''The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy'' in explicitly racial terms. Stoddard privately dismissed the Hearst magazine as a "radical-Jew outfit".

Views

Stoddard authored many books, most of them related to race and civilization. He wrote primarily on the alleged dangers posed by "

colored ''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow Era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur, though it has taken on a special meaning in Sout ...

" peoples to white civilization. Many of his books and articles were racialist and described what he saw as the peril of nonwhite

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

. He develops this theme in '' The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy'' originally published in 1920 with an introduction by

Madison Grant Madison Grant (November 19, 1865 – May 30, 1937) was an American lawyer, zoologist, anthropologist, and writer known primarily for his work as a eugenicist and conservationist, and as an advocate of scientific racism. Grant is less noted f ...

. He presents a view of the world situation pertaining to race and focusing concern on the coming population explosion among the

non-white The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

peoples of the world and the way in which "white world-supremacy" was being lessened in the wake of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the collapse of

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

. In the book, Stoddard blamed the ethnocentrism of the German "Teutonic imperialists" for the outbreak of World War I. Stoddard argued that race and heredity were the guiding factors of history and civilization and that the elimination or absorption of the "white" race by "colored" races would result in the destruction of

Western civilization Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

. Like Madison Grant in ''

The Passing of the Great Race ''The Passing of the Great Race: Or, The Racial Basis of European History'' is a 1916 racist and pseudoscientific book by American lawyer, self-styled anthropologist, and proponent of eugenics, Madison Grant (1865–1937). Grant expounds a theo ...

'', Stoddard divided the white race into three main divisions: Nordic, Alpine, and Mediterranean. He considered all three to be of good stock and far above the quality of the colored races but argued that the Nordic was the greatest of the three and needed to be preserved by way of eugenics. He considered most Jews to be racially "Asiatic" and argued for restricting Jewish immigration because he considered them a threat to Nordic racial purity in the US. He warned that US was being "invaded by hordes of immigrant Alpines and Mediterraneans, not to mention Asiatic elements like Levantines and Jews." Stoddard's racist beliefs were especially hostile to black people. He claimed that they were fundamentally different from other groups, they had no civilizations of their own, and had contributed nothing to the world. Stoddard opposed

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...

, and said that "crossings with the negro are uniformly fatal". During a 1921 speech in Birmingham, Alabama, President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

praised the book. In ''The Revolt Against Civilization'' (1922), Stoddard put forward the theory that civilization places a growing burden on individuals, which leads to a growing underclass of individuals who cannot keep up and a "ground-swell of revolt". Stoddard advocated immigration restriction and birth control legislation to reduce the numbers of the underclass and promoted the reproduction of members of the middle and upper classes. Stoddard was one of several eugenicists who sat on the board of the

. The Nazi Party's chief racial theorist

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head o ...

appropriated the racial term ''

'' from the German version of Stoddard's 1922 book ''The Revolt Against Civilization: The Menace of the Under-man''. The German title was ''Der Kulturumsturz: Die Drohung des Untermenschen'' (1925).

Debate with W.E.B. Du Bois

In 1929, Stoddard debated

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

historian

W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up i ...

on white supremacy and its assertion of the natural inferiority of colored races. The debate, organized by the Chicago Forum Council, was billed as "One of the greatest debates ever held". Du Bois argued in the affirmative to the question "Shall the Negro be encouraged to seek cultural equality? Has the Negro the same intellectual possibilities as other races?" Du Bois knew the racism would be unintentionally funny onstage; as he wrote to Moore, Senator

James Thomas Heflin James Thomas Heflin (April 9, 1869 – April 22, 1951), nicknamed "Cotton Tom", was an American politician who served as a United States representative and United States senator from Alabama. Early life Born in Louina, Alabama, he attended t ...

"would be a scream" in a debate. "Du Bois let the overconfident and bombastic Stoddard walk into a comic moment, which Stoddard then made even funnier by not getting the joke". The transcript records Stoddard saying: "'The more enlightened men of southern white America ... are doing their best to see that separation shall not mean discrimination; that if the Negroes have separate schools, they shall be good schools; that if they have separate train accommodations, they shall have good accommodations.' aughter" Du Bois, in responding to Stoddard, said the reason for the audience laughter was that he had never journeyed under Jim Crow restrictions. "We have," Du Bois told him and the mixed audience. This moment was captured in ''

The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

''s headline: "DuBois Shatters Stoddard’s Cultural Theories in Debate; Thousands Jam Hall ... Cheered As He Proves Race Equality." ''

The Afro-American The ''Baltimore Afro-American'', commonly known as ''The Afro'' or ''Afro News'', is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the flagship newspaper of the ''AFRO-American'' chain and the longest-running Africa ...

'' reported: "5,000 Cheer W.E.B. DuBois, Laugh at Lothrop Stoddard."

Reports from Nazi Germany

Between 1939 and 1940, Stoddard spent four months as a journalist for the North American Newspaper Alliance in Nazi Germany. He received preferential treatment from Nazi officials compared to other journalists. An example was the

Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany. The ministry ...

's insisting that

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Max Jordan Max Jordan (later Father Placid Jordan - April 21, 1895 in Sanremo, Italy Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt Signatur: PD-REG 3a 18095 - November 1977) was a pioneering radio journalist for the NBC network in Europe in the 1930s. Later, he became a Benedic ...

and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

William Shirer William Lawrence Shirer (; February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and war correspondent. He wrote ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'', a history of Nazi Germany that has been read by many and cited in scholarly w ...

use Stoddard to interview the captain of the ''Bremen''. Stoddard wrote a memoir, ''Into the Darkness: Nazi Germany Today'' (1940), about his experiences in Germany. Among other events, the book describes interviews with such figures as

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

Robert Ley Robert Ley (; 15 February 1890 – 25 October 1945) was a German politician and labour union leader during the Nazi era; Ley headed the German Labour Front from 1933 to 1945. He also held many other high positions in the Party, including ''Gaul ...

and

Fritz Sauckel Ernst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel (27 October 1894 – 16 October 1946) was a German Nazi politician, ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Thuringia from 1927 and the General Plenipotentiary for Labour Deployment (''Arbeitseinsatz'') from March 1942 unti ...

, as well as a brief meeting with

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

himself. Stoddard visited the

Hereditary Health Court The Hereditary Health Court (german: Erbgesundheitsgericht, EGG), also known as the Genetic Health Court, was a court that decided whether people should be forcibly sterilized in Nazi Germany. That method of using courts to make decisions on heredi ...

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...

, an appeals court that decided whether Germans would be sterilized. After having observed several dysgenics trials at the court, Stoddard stated that the eugenics legislation was "being administered with strict regard for its provisions and that, if anything, judgments were almost too conservative" and that the law was "weeding out the worst strains in the Germanic stock in a scientific and truly humanitarian way."

Postwar

After World War II, Stoddard's theories were deemed too closely aligned with those of the Nazis and so he suffered a large drop in popularity. His death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1950 went almost entirely unreported despite his previously broad readership and influence.

Bibliography

Books

''The French Revolution in San Domingo,''
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1914.
''Present-day Europe, its National States of Mind,''
The Century Co., 1917.
''Stakes of the War,''
with Glenn Frank, The Century Co., 1918.
''The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy,''
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921 st Pub. 1920
''The New World of Islam,''
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922 st Pub. 1921br>
* '' iarchive:cu31924016895975/page/n7/mode/2up, The Revolt Against Civilization: The Menace of the Under Man,'' Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922.
''Racial Realities in Europe,''
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924.
''Social Classes in Post-War Europe.''
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
''Scientific Humanism.''
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926. *
Re-forging America: The Story of Our Nationhood.
' New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1927. * ''The Story of Youth.'' New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1928. * ''Luck, Your Silent Partner.'' New York: H. Liveright, 1929. * ''Master of Manhattan, the life of Richard Croker.'' Londton: Longmans, Green and Co., 1931.
''Europe and Our Money,''
The Macmillan Co., 1932 * ''Lonely America.'' Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran, and Co., 1932. * ''Clashing Tides of Color.'' New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935. * ''A Caravan Tour to Ireland and Canada,'' World Caravan Guild, 1938.
''Into the Darkness: Nazi Germany Today,''
Duell, Sloan & Pearce, Inc., 1940.

Selected articles

* “Turkey and the Great War,” ''The North American Review'', October 1914.
“How Europe’s Armies Take the Field,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. L, September 1914.
“Italy and the War,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. L, September 1914.
“Bulgaria’s Dream of Empire,”
''The Century Magazine'', Vol. XL, May/October, 1915.
“Imperiled Holland,”
''The Century Magazine'', Vol. XL, May/October, 1915.
“Rome Rampant,”
''The Century Magazine'', Vol. XL, May/October, 1915. * “Italian Imperialism,” ''The Forum'', September 1915.
“Italy and her Rivals,”
''Review of Reviews'', Vol. LII, July/December 1915.
“Venizelos: Pilot of Greater Greece,”
''Review of Reviews'', Vol. LII, July/December 1915.
“The Simmering Balkans,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. LIV, July/December 1916.
“The Danish West Indies: Keys to the Caribbean,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. LIV, July/December 1916.
"Russia's State of Mind,"
''The Atlantic Monthly'', Vol. CXVIII, 1916.
"The Blundering of Greece,”
''The Century Magazine'', XCIII, November 1916/April 1917.
“The Economic Heresy of the Allies,”
''The Century Magazine'', XCIII, November 1916/April 1917.
"Pan-Turanism,"
''The American Political Science Review'', Vol. 11, No. 1, Feb., 1917. * “The Real Menace of Pacifism,” ''The Forum'', March 1917. * “New China Menaced,” ''The Forum'', March 1917. * “The Right-Line of American Policy,” ''The Forum'', March 1917.
“Exit Constantine,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. LVI, July/December 1917.
“Russia: A Bird’s-Eye View,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. LVI, July/December 1917.
“Some Reflections on Revolution,”
''The Unpopular Review'', Vol. IX, January/June, 1918.
“Russia and German Policy,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. LVIII, July/December, 1918.
“What Remains of Germanism in Central Europe,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXVII, November 1918/April 1919.
“Peace Conferences that Have Failed in the Past,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXVII, November 1918/April 1919.
“The World as It Is,”Part IIPart IIIPart IVPart V
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXVIII, May 1919.
“The Economic Foundations of Peace,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXVIII, May 1919.
"Adria: The Troubled Sea,"
''The Century Magazine,'' Vol. XCVIII, 1919.
"Bolshevism: The Heresy of the Underman,"
''The Century Magazine,'' Vol. XCVIII, 1919.
“As Others See Us,"
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXVIII, May 1919
Part IIPart IIIPart IVPart VPart VIPart VII
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXIX, November 1919/April 1920
Part VIIIPart IX
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XL, May 1920/October 1920.
“The Common People’s Union,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXIX, November 1919/April 1920.
“Labor in World Politics,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XXXIX, November 1919/April 1920.
“Japan Challenges Us to Control California,”
''The American Review of Reviews'', Vol. XL, May 1920/October 1920. * “Scandinavia’s Lesson to the World,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', November 1920. * “The New Ignorance,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', December 1920. * “The Unrest in the Islamic World,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', December 1920. * “Social Unrest and Bolshevism in the Islamic World,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', December 1920.
“How Europe Views Our Campaign,”
''The World's Work'', Vol. XLI, November 1920/April 1921.
“Is America American?,”
''The World's Work'', Vol. XLI, November 1920/April 1921.
"The Japanese Question in California,"
''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Vol. 93, Jan., 1921.
"Population Problems in Asia,"
''The Birth Control Review,'' Vol. V, 1921.
"The Month in World Affairs,"Part IIPart III
''The Century Magazine,'' Vol. CIII, 1921/1922
Part IVPart VPart VIPart VII
''The Century Magazine,'' Vol. CIV, 1922.
“Islam Aflame with Revolt,”
''The World's Work'', Vol. XLIV, May/October 1922. * “England: Impressions and Personalities,” ''Scribner's'', September 1923. * “Through Rhineland and Ruhr — Via Morocco,” ''Scribner's'', November 1923. * “Berlin and Vienna: Likenesses and Contrasts,” ''Scribner's'', December 1923. * “Balkan Glimpses,” ''Scribner's'', January 1924. * “Turkish Vistas by Land and Sea,” ''Scribner's'', February 1924. * “Through Arab Lands,” ''Scribner's'', March 1924. * “The Pedigree of Judah,” ''The Forum'', March 1926. * “Two Views of Fascism,” ''The Forum'', August 1927. * The Impasse at the Color-Line,” ''The Forum'', October 1927. * “Is This the End of Civilization?,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', June 1931. * “What France Really Wants,” ''The Forum'', December 1931. * “Why Cities Go Broke,” ''The Forum'', June 1932. * “Chaos in the East,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', October 1932. * “How to Keep Out of the Next War,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', May 1934. * “Africa — The Coming Continent,” ''Scribner's Magazine'', April 1936. Additionally, Stoddard wrote several articles for ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

''.''"New-York Tribune,"''
November 02, 1922.

References

External links

Profile of Lothrop Stoddard
a
''The Northlander'' Archives

Stoddard Family Association
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoddard, Lothrop 1883 births 1950 deaths Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni American political scientists American eugenicists American birth control activists American male journalists American critics of Islam Ku Klux Klan members 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century scholars Boston University School of Law alumni 20th-century American male writers Historians from Massachusetts American conspiracy theorists American fascists 20th-century political scientists