The concept of IQ and intelligence was developing in the beginning of the 1900's for the purpose of eugenics. The USA was a huge proponent of eugenics, before Hitler was born, and politicians even proposed gas chambers to euthanize those deemed to be less intelligent. ...
Well...this isn't quite accurate. The
IQ test developed by Alfred Binet came about because the French government had mandated universal education, and there was an interest in determining which children belonged in special classrooms that could help slower learners. I doubt very much that they had eugenics in mind.
It's true that an American named
Henry Goddard had regressive views with regard to people of very low intelligence. He brought Binet's intelligence tests to the US. According to the link I provided, he
popularized the tests, which isn't the same as inventing them for the purpose of eugenics.
But we're off-topic. Portia made a good point about being made to sit still today, compared to the 1970s/80s and earlier. I grew up then, and everyone ran around outside. My mom's rule after school was that I had to call her to let her know where I was. Most of the kids I knew followed the same rule. On weekends and during the summer, we knew we had to be home for dinner, but could go out afterwards until sunset. A note on the kitchen table sufficed in my house ("Gone to the park with Amy."). ETA: so in that regard, a lot of gifties looked like everyone else in that they went sledding in the winter, rode bikes, raked up piles of leaves in the fall, etc.
