Margaret Sanger : feminist heroine, public nuisance, or social engineer?

This thesis will examine the life and career of Margaret Sanger in her capacity as pioneer of the American birth control movement. The thesis will present divergent viewpoints from both an historic and legal perspective as to the strategies and effectiveness of her nearly 50 year campaign to bring legal birth control techniques and information to the United States. While most of the authors and articles discussed appear to agree on the facts of Mrs. Sanger's actions and achievements, there is a wide variety of interpretation as to the intentions and ultimate ramifications of these accomplishments. The emphasis of the thesis will be to go beyond the differing perspectives of the cited historians/authors/legal scholars to analytically investigate the biases, circumstances, and ideological motivations behind their works and assertions. In many ways the ambiguities surrounding Margaret Sanger's place in history mirror the contemporary confusion around the concepts of birth control, feminism, eugenics, and direct political action. Through examination of her legacy, this thesis will attempt to present a spectrum of continuing political and philosophical debate on a pertinent social topic.