Margaret Sanger--In 1931 H.G. Wells said, "When the history of our civilization is written, it will be a biological history, and Margaret Sanger will be its heroine."
Considered her. Yaron just wrote a piece about her which points out -- probably fairly -- that the other reason she supported birth control was to limit the reproduction of poorer people, eg non-whites, with not wholly altruistic reasons for wanting this. The word "eugenics" has been used. I don't know how much of that is true, or that I even agree with Yaron's assessment that she should be "dropped as an icon," but I do find it troubling enough to eliminate her from consideration.
This is what Time magazine says about that..."There is still an effort to distort her goal of giving women control over their bodies by attributing such quotes to Sanger as 'More children from the fit, less from the unfit — that is the chief issue of birth control.' Sanger didn't say those words; in fact, she condemned them as a eugenicist argument for "cradle competition." To her, poor mental development was largely the result of poverty, overpopulation and the lack of attention to children."
Margaret Sanger's social attitudes aside, she materially affected the lives of so many people and we're still fighting her battle today. Kinsey affected the way we thought, but Sanger actually affected what people did (and do).
You need to know more about Ben Franklin. His importance as a media figure and his intellectual influence as a Founder is enough to put him on the list; his scientific and diplomatic accomplishments then guarantee him a high spot. He was also the Ultimate American--he embodied the American spirit and dream as much or more than anyone else on your list.
The inclusion of Benjamin Spock is a great move.
Why no businessmen? I'd be inclined to put Andrew Carnegie on my list, at the very least. Henry Ford wasn't just an inventor--he developed the factory system as many people still know it and was the first businessman to dare to pay his workers well enough that they could buy the products they were building. He is sometimes credited with inventing
(continued) the modern American middle class. Not to shaft Edison, though--a great inventor and a genius at marketing.
I'd also be inclined to include John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club and modern American conservationism. He convinced TR to join the cause and then TR got all the credit. His attitude towards the American landscape is still pervasive, even in these anti-environmental times.
Ah! Good suggestions.
I did dismiss Franklin too readily. I read his autobiography for a class at Brandeis and, yes, he as much, or more than anyone else did define, early on, what it meant to be American.
But should I bump Hamilton or Jefferson?
Being of cranky, working class stock, I think I'd have a hard time calling a business man -- even a rather benevolent one like Carnegie -- "great." "Important," definitely, but that's not the category.
I can't attribute that sentiment to anything other than personal bias, of course.
Commenting by HaloScan
