Memoir Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race

What it is

This is a written work by Alexander Graham Bell, published in 1884, based on an address he gave to the National Academy of Sciences. In it, Bell argues from his heredity research that marriages between deaf people risk producing a "deaf variety" of the human race, and he opposes such intermarriage.

Why it matters

This document shows a troubling side of Bell's legacy. Beyond his famous invention, Bell was deeply involved in deaf education through his family's work, but this memoir reveals his support for ideas later associated with the eugenics movement, including opposition to deaf intermarriage, sign language, and residential schools for the deaf. It is important for understanding Bell as a complex historical figure, not only as an inventor.

Why it matters

Look closer

• Why might a scientist use the language of animal breeding to talk about human marriage?
• How does this document complicate the usual story of Bell as simply a heroic inventor?
• Whose voices are missing from this document — do deaf people themselves get to speak here?