Birth control: Margaret Sanger’s reply to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Birth control, Birth control--Government policy, Birth control--Moral and ethical aspects, Birth control--Public opinion, Fertility, France, Germany, Greece, Italy--Rome, Motherhood, Poverty, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Upper class women, Working class women--Health and hygiene
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Margaret Sanger replies to former President Roosevelt’s article “Birth Control–From the Positive Side.” Sanger argues that birth control is necessary for all classes; however, it is most necessary for the working class. She criticizes Roosevelt’s approach, stating that widespread fertility should not be encouraged in order to prevent the “spawning of the slums.” She also takes issue with Roosevelt’s assessment that birth rates in France and Germany helped precipitate World War I. Finally, Sanger argues that women fear birthing children into poverty with the inability to care for them. For this reason, birth control dissemination is a necessity.
Collection
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project
Creation Date
1917-12
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
Post-Presidential Years (1913-January 6, 1919)
Page Count
5
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
See the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library Terms of Use for further copyright information.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Birth control: Margaret Sanger’s reply to Theodore Roosevelt. [December 1917]. The Margaret Sanger Papers Project.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291921. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966. Birth control: Margaret Sanger’s reply to Theodore Roosevelt. [Dec 1917]. Multi-image.
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291921.
APA:
Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966., [1917, December]. Birth control: Margaret Sanger’s reply to Theodore Roosevelt.
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291921.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/the-margaret-sanger-papers-project. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/the-margaret-sanger-papers-project.
APA:
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/the-margaret-sanger-papers-project.
