Family Studies: Jukes and Kallikak Families

Family Studies: The Jukes and Kallikak Families

• Researchers like Henry H. Goddard, Richard L. Dugdale, and Arthur H. Estabrook studied generations of families, specifically the "Jukes" and "Kallikaks," to find evidence of inherited traits linked to criminal behavior.
• They believed criminal tendencies were genetic and could be passed down through generations. These families were presented with pseudonyms.
• The Jukes Family: Richard L. Dugdale studied the Jukes lineage, starting with the five daughters of Max Juke. He traced descendants, finding high rates of prostitution, pauperism, and illegitimate births, concluding a strong connection between lineage and criminal behavior. Max Juke (the ancestor) was depicted as a hunter, fisherman, hard drinker, and a scandalous man. One daughter, Ada Juke (known as Margaret), had multiple illegitimate children, according to the researchers.
• The Kallikak Family: Henry H. Goddard studied Martin Kallikak, a revolutionary war soldier, tracing his two separate relationships. One was with a Quaker woman, the other was with a feeble-minded woman. He concluded that the descendants of the Quaker lineage were more orderly and less prone to criminal behavior. The descendants of the feeble-minded woman showed a high rate of feeble-mindedness, illegitimacy, prostitution, and criminal activity.
• Arthur H. Estabrook, working at the Eugenics Record Office, studied the Jukes nearly four decades later. His findings largely supported Dugdale's, indicating continued criminal behaviors in the later Jukes descendants.
• The Jukes and Kallikak studies concluded illegitimate children tended to have more criminal activity, that the burden of criminal activity in a family generally came from illegitimate lineages. Also, criminal activity was more frequent among males.
• Data collected from the studies included descendants who were prostitutes, thieves, brothel owners, alcoholics, and those with licentious behavior, among other conclusions.
• Subsequent studies, however, questioned the methodologies and biases present in the original "Jukes" and "Kallikak" studies.

Additional Findings / Data

• Data show substantial variations in the recorded criminal and social behaviors of the descendants
• The number of descendants involved in the study exceeds one thousand
• 262 of a large group traced were identified as feeble-minded
• 197 were considered normal
• 581 descendants remained undetermined
• 36 were illegitimate, 33 were sexually immoral (mostly prostitutes), 24 were confirmed alcoholics, and 3 were epileptics.
• 82 died in infancy. 3 were criminals, 8 had houses of ill repute
• The great-great-grandfather of Deborah (an 8-year-old who was interviewed) was Martin Kallikak, Jr.,

This quiz explores the groundbreaking studies by researchers like Dugdale and Goddard on the Jukes and Kallikak families. Discover how they traced criminal behavior through generations and their controversial implications on genetics and family traits. Test your knowledge on the findings and implications of these studies.