AP Success - AP European History: Birth Control's Early 20th C. Impact
Margaret Sanger, "The Civilizing Force of Birth Control," 1929"The mother no longer considers herself a slave. She is glad that she is standing upon her own feet. She feels herself mistress of her own life, and no longer the inert, helpless, hopeless victim of circumstances which inevitably go from bad to worse. The difference is as striking as that between freeman and slave. The mothers who are liberated—and liberated through the exercise of their own intelligence and foresight—from the relentless pressure of involuntary motherhood—almost automatically become more interested in life, in the future, in the upbringing of their children, in the affairs of the community at large. In a word, they have become more civilized. And this has been made possible not through the much-vaunted agencies of popular education, but because she has been given simple, sanitary instruction which assures her mastery of her own body and procreative functions. I could present the testimony of many parents—and particularly mothers—who have thus been enabled to regain mastery over the conditions of their lives and are consequently fulfilling their maternal function in far happier and more efficient fashion."
Question 1
According to Margaret Sanger in 1929, what was one of the primary benefits for women who gained access to birth control?
They were able to secure higher-paying jobs.
They received better formal education.
They felt more in control of their lives and less like victims of their circumstances.
They were granted the right to vote.
Question 2
Margaret Sanger's views on birth control as expressed in the passage are most closely associated with which of the following movements?
The labor movement fighting for workers' rights.
The feminist movement advocating for women's reproductive rights.
The civil rights movement aiming to end racial discrimination.
The temperance movement seeking to prohibit alcohol consumption.
Question 3
The 'simple, sanitary instruction' mentioned by Margaret Sanger in the source is most likely referring to
Physical education as part of compulsory schooling.
General hygiene practices promoted by public health campaigns.
Education on contraception and reproductive health.
Nutritional guidance provided by government programs.
Question 4
The perspective presented by Margaret Sanger in the source would have likely been opposed by which of the following groups in the early 20th century?
Medical professionals interested in reducing maternal mortality.
Conservative religious organizations that viewed birth control as immoral.
Advocates for population control and eugenics.
Progressive reformers who supported women's rights.
Question 5
Margaret Sanger's argument that birth control leads to women becoming 'more civilized' suggests that she believed
Control over reproduction was essential to women's social and intellectual development.
Education alone was sufficient for the advancement of women's status in society.
Women were inherently less civilized than men without birth control.
Civilization could only advance through strict population control measures.
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